Love mommy how?
by cornelialover
Summary: Donna got pregnant after The Other Time. She and Harvey decided to raise their girl without being together. Eleven years later, Mia has questions.
1. Chapter 1

**Guys, hey! I couldn't get this idea out of my head so here I am. It's been 7 years since the last time I wrote a multi-chapter - for another fandom, in another language - and still… I decided to give this one a shot. I hope you like it. I worked my ass off with this masterpiece, 'cause I don't have a beta and I'm not a native speaker aaaand I didn't want you guys to find grammar mistakes because those sucks. I did my best, I'm sorry if it's not perfect. Enjoy!**

**…**

"Hey mom, I'm here," the eleven-year-old showed up down the hall, strolling fast towards Donna's desk. She leaned in the cubicle with that bright Cheshire cat grin - the same as her father's. She was barely taller than the cubicle walls now, just enough for her mother to be able to see her smug face.

Donna looked up and her eyes lightened immediately, although kinda surprised to see Mia there at 11 a.m. on a regular Monday.

"Hey, what are you doing here, babe?" The older redhead asked softly, reaching for the girl's hands with a smile on the lips.

"Class was over earlier today. Mr. Muller got the flu and dismissed us," she shrugged, "then I decided I didn't want to go home and be lonely for the whole afternoon, so Ray dropped me here," the girl clarified as Donna's eyes narrowed a bit, setting her well-known suspicious expression from who knows better than that.

"I think there's something else you're not telling me," the mother bit her lips and arched her brows, her tone amused as Mia rolled her hazel eyes and giggled. She knew she couldn't hide anything from that woman.

"Fine, I also didn't want to have last night's leftovers for lunch," Mia added mischievously.

"I knew it," Donna snickered, "alright, I won't be mad at you if you behave. Last time Louis didn't enjoy you breaking his mugs in the kitchen."

"I'm eleven now, mom, I don't do stupid things anymore," Mia charmed and Donna shook her head at her shameless manners.

"We'll see about that," Donna leaned back on the chair, "I ordered burgers for me and daddy, I'll order one more for you, is that okay?"

"Yes! Pick the same one as daddy."

"As always," the woman mumbled under her breath. Their daughter and Harvey had the same taste for almost everything. She would never admit it out loud, but this annoyed her. Mia had already his smile, and as if this wasn't enough she kept finding other things to remind Donna of him all the freaking time. Donna had to work with the man the entire day, then at night when she was supposed to have a break, turned out she had a mini-Harvey to deal with as well. She found it cute, sure, she loved Harvey after all - as a friend, she'd convinced herself. But sometimes... it could be just too much.

"So, can I go see Aunt Rachel?" Mia interrupted her thoughts, adjusting her school bag slipping from her shoulder.

"It depends. Do you have homework to do?"

"Just a math assignment," Mia stared expectantly at her mother.

"You can go say hi, but she's probably busy so don't disturb her too much, alright? Then you come back and use daddy's office to do your assignment."

"Deal! Where is he, by the way?" The girl searched for Harvey through the glass walls, finding the room empty.

"He's in a meeting, sweetie. He'll be back for lunch."

"Okay, then. Be right back," Mia claimed and turned around, starting to bounce towards Rachel's office while her strawberry blonde curls swung to the sides, earning a tender smile from the mother.

Mia was getting prettier and smarter each day. Donna was proud of her. She was definitely the most unexpected-turned-best gift life could ever bring to her and Harvey, they could agree on that nowadays. Back in the beginning, it had been shocking news for them. They were supposed to be just friends who shared an amazing night, and all of a sudden the consequences of that night brought a complete life-changing for the pair. Adjusting was hard, complicated, messy. Feelings were confused, lines got blurrier, dynamics had to change, they had to grow. They'd fought sometimes. She hadn't been sure their friendship would survive this bomb. Donna had wished deep down Harvey would have tried a relationship with her around that time. But he had already too much on his head with an unplanned child coming up, and she knew better than push him any more than that.

They'd found their way, though. That's what they've always done. Harvey and Donna were a team long before Mia, and having her only brought them closer together, their confidence and loyalty stronger than anything else. After the dust had settled, they'd managed to establish an entire routine for their new reality and soon enough they were good at this. It worked. They supported each other. They learned together. And she was glad this happened with him over anybody else. It wasn't perfect, either ideal, but it was family. Mia was loved. That's all that mattered. At some point Donna found herself having to swallow down her feelings for Harvey in order to give Mia a less complicated childhood. The three of them were comfortable in the way things were going. They were fine. She would never do anything to ruin that.

When Mia was a baby, she would go to the firm with the two of them and they would take turns taking care of her. Their colleagues always helped when it was needed. Soon enough the corner of Harvey's office evolved to a small playground, within toys scattered around a blanket and a redhead child in the middle, ripping off lovingly smiles from their parents. When Mia achieved the age for preschool, Donna's parents moved to New York to help the pair. Clara and Jim would pick up Mia at school and stay with her until Donna or Harvey leaves work and takes her home. She stayed a week at Donna's and then a week at Harvey's and she grew up mesmerizing the fact she had two amazing bedrooms.

Donna and Harvey started dating other people again at some point over the years and Mia seemed to be fine with that. Or probably she just didn't understand. In fact, Mark and Scottie were the only ones the girl actually met. Mia was fond of Mark, she was just 5 after all. Yet with Scottie, it bothered her. It felt off. Maybe because she was older and had a better judgment at that time. Every woman who stepped into her father's apartment other than her mother seemed just wrong.

Mia's favorites evenings were when the three of them had dinner together. And her favorites afternoons were when the three of them did something else together: movies, parks, baseball games or theatre plays. It used to happen once or twice a month. She secretly wished they'd do it more often.

She was a perfect mix of both of them. Donna's personality, Harvey's temper, Donna's hair, Harvey's smile, Donna's eyes, Harvey's tastes. And yet at the same time, she was so different. So unique. So amazing. Harvey was in love with their girl, no one would've guessed the man would become the softest father on Earth. And Donna felt like the luckiest woman alive for having this baby girl of her own and Harvey as her partner on this. Her heart would pound faster and her stomach would have flutters every time she's got to watch Harvey interacting with Mia, but she would pretend it was nothing and shut these feelings down instantly. Little did she know he felt the same things about her even when Mia wasn't around.

The girl was almost a teenager now. Things were slowly changing again. She started to stay home alone after school while her parents were at work. Sometimes Clara or Jim would check on her and most of the time it was one of them who would take the girl for her dance classes in the afternoon. Donna always called Mia by the time she was supposed to be home, even when it was Harvey's week to have her. Harvey had recently given the girl a cellphone, only so he could text her goodnight every day when she was at Donna's.

They were good parents. And they were best friends. Donna loved the fact that Mia was not the only thing uniting the pair. She and Harvey would sometimes hang out just the two of them, either having dinner at her favorite place or having drinks at his office. Only the two could understand how this actually works. From people outside, it should be really confusing. Donna didn't care at all.

The redhead felt her stomach growls from lack of eating and in the second later she spotted Harvey, walking back towards his office after the meeting. Good. Lunchtime.

"Hey, there's a special guest waiting for you inside," Donna winked at the man, who glimmered curiously at her before glancing at his office and roaming through the glass door.

"Hey, Chunky Monkey! You're here!" Harvey's eyes sparkled at the sight of Mia sitting on his couch, her colorful pens and notebook spread at the coffee table.

The girl watched Harvey reaching up to her and leaning forward to kiss her forehead. Mia gave him a sweet smile. "Dad! How was your fancy meeting?"

"Uhmmm. Boring, babe. I'm better now that I saw you," he winked at his daughter, heading to his desk afterwards. "What are you doing here, by the way? I thought this week you'd be staying with mommy?"

"I am, but I decided to spend the afternoon here, it's been a while," she crossed her legs over the couch - just like Donna usually does, he noticed.

"Well, we'll have lunch and then daddy has some paperwork to do but, if you want, in an hour we could go grab some bagels downstairs," the man lowered the tone and arched his brows enthusiastically, as if they were planning something very illegal. This earned him a giggle from Mia, something that he always loved to do.

"Mom said I should do my homework," she whined instead, making a face.

"Oh, yeah," he shook his head, "she's right. You should listen to her," so he glimpsed outside quickly before adding in a loud whisper, "doesn't mean we can't do both."

Mia almost blurted out laughing at her father's silliness when they both heard from the intercom, "You guys know I'm listening, right?" Donna's voice echoed through the office and Harvey chuckled.

"Mom, let us grab bagels, pleeeease," Mia approached the intercom.

Harvey watched through the glass wall as Donna rolled her eyes playfully, "one condition," she paused briefly, "you two have to bring me one too."

"That's easy! Consider it done," Mia jumped at her spot and offered her hand to high-five with Harvey's.

"Now sweetie, can you go to the kitchen and grab our burgers 'cause I'm starving, please?" Donna prompted and in a second the little redhead was rushing to the office kitchen to get their food.

Before he knew, Donna was entering his office and crossing her arms with a cheerful yet disapproval look on her face.

"What?" Harvey faked innocence, not even trying to hide the tiny smirk on the side of his lips.

"You really need to stop spoiling her," she stepped closer.

"It's an incentive. Homework is boring," he defended himself, almost laughing when she threw him a glare, "hey, you could've said no!"

"And letting her think you're the cool one? Not happening," Donna smirked back.

Harvey shook his head and grimaced.

"It's just today," he wriggled more serious.

"Oh you bet your ass it is, 'cause the amount of sugar she had this weekend plus today it's enough until next week," Donna stated.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Harvey pretended to be confused. The secretary poked his shoulder jokingly.

"She told me your fridge was full of candy last week, pretty boy."

"Uh, that little snitch. I can't trust my own daughter anymore!" Harvey fooled and Donna rolled her eyes, grinning effortlessly.

"You're an idiot, you know that right?"

"Yeah you keep reminding me of it," he half complained.

"Good. Now eat your goddamn burger and go get us girls some bagels," Donna winked at him and finally left the office, observing Mia returning with their lunch.

...

"Dad, I have a question," Mia tightened herself inside her coat, the cold air outside hitting her skin. They were waiting on the line to buy the three bagels later in that afternoon.

"What is it, baby girl?"

She took a deep breath before speaking, "well, I had this assignment about family at school today."

"Oh. And how was it?" Harvey turned to her, attempting to keep it cool when he suddenly had the feeling that not an easy question was about to come.

"We had to explain about our story and our families to the class, you know, to show the different kinds of families there are around the world," Mia shrugged, clearly stalling to get to the point. Perhaps she was afraid to ask the same way he was getting afraid to listen. "Then it just hit me, I don't know how to explain."

"What hit you, sweetheart?"

He noticed how she was clasping her hands together, nervously. Contemplating the ground, Mia shook her head and decided to just let it out all at once, "Why aren't you and mommy together?"

Harvey closed his eyes briefly, gasping. He didn't even have the chance to start talking when the girl resumed her thoughts.

"I mean, I was so used to it that I never realized that nobody has a family as I do. Either the kid's parents are married or they're divorced and, well, you and mommy were never married and you guys are like bests friends forever and... That's when it hit me, this is not _normal_. I'd never noticed that and now I can't understand why and, uh, it just doesn't make sense..." she started rambling too much and Harvey decided it was time to stop this before it got way further of what he could handle at once.

Why was she coming to him about this anyway? Isn't this supposed to be girl talk?

"Mia," he called.

"I also don't get it how this never occurred to me before. I mean, not the part of why you guys are not together 'cause I think about that all the time but the part that our family it's just so unusual and-"

"Mia, listen to me," Harvey repeated. Mia finally shut her mouth and met his eyes in an instant, "I knew you would ask us about this someday, I just didn't expect it to be this soon," he began, a little baffled in his thoughts.

"So you don't think this is normal too?"

"You're right, baby. It's not normal, but," Harvey hesitated, unsure, "wasn't your assignment supposed to show there's no harm to not have normal families? Look, our mother and I have been friends for years now and our little family works this way. We love each other and we love you and that's the most important thing, isn't it?"

"But if you guys love each other so why don't you get together? Don't get me wrong daddy, I love our family the way it is but this is just... I just don't understand."

"It's not that simple, Mia..."

"Why not?!" She insisted.

"Because there are different kinds of love," Harvey uttered.

"And _how_ do you love mommy then?"

Harvey opened his mouth to speak, his brain beginning to paralyze as his daughter forced him to enter a world of complex emotions he'd spent so much time and effort hiding and ignoring. Luckily for him, before he was able to formulate a proper sentence it was their time to order. He took advantage of the extra time to think, buying their bagels meanwhile pondering the entire situation in a matter of seconds and trying to come up with some acceptable reasoning. He couldn't just lie to her. He wasn't capable of that. However he couldn't access the truth either, at least not out of nowhere just like that.

Harvey knew he had undefined feelings for Donna. They were always there. He just couldn't name it. Or act on them. It was just too risky, that's why he had opted to deal with those feelings by not over-analyzing them at all. After Mia, the risk increased to be a thousand times worse. He couldn't just do something that might potentially hurt this family.

"Daddy?" Mia didn't let go, following him through the sidewalk after getting their bagels.

"You and your mother mean everything to me, Mia," he started with the easiest truth, "I love her in so many ways. But dating implicates many other things, it has so many uncertainties, we just don't think it's the right thing to do."

"But you've never even tried dad, how could you possibly know?" Her eyes are sad and for a moment there Harvey's heart shattered. He wished she'd decided to have this conversation with Donna instead of him. She would explain it better.

"Mia, sometimes we prefer to stay with the certainty of the present rather than try something new that could simply go wrong and destroy all the good things you already have," he sighed, looking down. Harvey suddenly felt exposed by giving his most honest response only for her. If it had been anybody else asking, he'd have said something different.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. So if you're unhappy you're willing to stay like this forever out of what, fear?" Mia raised her tone, indignation getting the best of her. Harvey widened his eyes at this rebuttal. For an instant there he forgot he was speaking to someone really under his age.

"Look, I don't expect you to get it, Mia. You're still too young for that," Harvey was running out of ideas to shut this topic down as quick as possible. The girl saw his hand runs through his hair, all the signs he was uncomfortable loudly clear to her. But she couldn't just drop it yet, she needed to comprehend. Lord, she'd got that perseverance from her mother, Harvey reminded himself.

"I may be too young but I know love when I see it. You guys are tied up forever because of me. It's not like you can lose each other anyway. You know everything about each other, you support and trust each other, and God this is just without mentioning the way you look and laugh at each other... I just don't get it what's stopping you. You don't have anything to lose," the little redhead ended her speech and as much as Harvey wished he wouldn't ever have to discuss his love life with his eleven-year-old, he felt proud of her. She had always been smart, but the way she just described him and Donna... He'd never known the girl paid that much attention to their relationship.

"We have more to lose than you think, princess," Harvey sucked at his bottom lip. It was the truth, at least. "Besides, I'm not being unhappy out of fear. I'm happy the way we are. We have you."

"Are you speaking for yourself or for both of you?" She frowned. Once again, he ran out of words, "I knew it," it was her final whisper.

They were back at the firm's building, waiting for the elevator as an awkward silence crept in. Jesus, he'd thought they would only be getting a bagel and now... Never on Earth he could've seen something like that coming to him.

Once they got into the elevator, Harvey took a great look at Mia's expression. She was probably overthinking their entire conversation, the way her eyes were slightly narrowed and lost giving it away. She seemed frustrated. There was a light sadness showing up on her features too. Maybe this wasn't the ending she'd hoped this talk would've had. Harvey breathed loudly at this thought. As much as he expected he could always be what she needed him to be, right now this was just out of his reach. And he hated himself for that. He wanted things to be simple. He really did. He wanted to be able to give her whatever she was longing for but this... This wasn't like that. It wasn't like pressing a button. This was about Donna. And Mia herself. This was about his family. A total messed up family, but still_ his_ family.

"Baby girl," he called after they went up almost all the floors required to get back to PSL. She looked up, waiting for him to elaborate, "aren't you happy with our little weird family?" the concern was genuine. He dreaded her answer. It could break him into a million pieces, but... He needed to know. He had to know if he was doing at least something right instead of screwing everything up. He couldn't live with himself if he did.

"I am, dad," her tiny smile reassured him, "I just feel like something is missing, that's all."

The elevator arrived at their floor and as the two stepped out, Harvey was thinking that yeah, he actually agreed with that. Something was indeed missing, and not only recently. This awful sensation had always been there and the fact that he couldn't shut it down for good made him wonder if perhaps he shouldn't. The anticipation of what could happen if he chose to give ears to this feeling gave him a knot in the stomach. That's why he shook his head, dismissing these thoughts for now.

"I'll use the bathroom, meet you in the office in a minute," Mia broke the silence, shifting her direction as Harvey just watched her, simply nodding.

Donna eyed Harvey as he returned to the office alone, contently spotting her bagel on his hands. She continued typing nonchalantly on the computer as the man approached her cubicle, shoving the bagel at her front and wearing a gentle smile on the lips.

"Thank you, mister," she grabbed it and took a huge bite, her eyes closing with the pleasure of tasting her desired afternoon snack. There's a soft amusement on his face from seeing her. "Where's your daughter?" Donna frowned, her mouth still full of food.

"Our daughter is in the bathroom," he revealed, faking annoyance with her choice of words. Of course she did that on purpose, the most fun thing about being the secretary of her child's father being tease the guy about it.

Donna snickered, but before she could flash him some other flirty joke her eyes met his and she noted the melancholy expression behind their usual smooth banter.

"Your face is pale," she affirmed bewildered, scanning his body language, "what happened?"

Harvey let out a breath, not thrilled about sharing this specific topic with her just now. Regardless, he knew she would use her skills until finally plucking it out of him, so he chose to speed the process, "let's just say she's making a lot of tricky questions today."

Donna nodded, acknowledging his point. "You're telling me," then she smiled, "well, she's older now, Harvey. She gets things better and it's great that she is asking us instead of others."

She was right. This may be as awful as it was, but it also meant that Mia trusted them for being truthful at her. He liked that.

"I better prepare myself then," Harvey curled up the right side of his lip, still not totally capable of letting his previous conversation with Mia go, "good thing she's all yours tonight."

"Alright you're scaring me, what did she ask you?" Donna narrowed her eyes, eliciting a chuckled from the lawyer in front of her.

"She asked why we aren't together," he muttered, his eyes intending to catch every detail of her reaction.

"Oh, I see," Donna dropped her eyes to her hands, sighing slowly, "you know, I'm not surprised. It was about time."

There's silence then. Their eyes didn't meet for a few seconds, both drowned in thoughts, taking it all in. Donna had to deal with those kinds of questions once in a while when Mia was younger. She used to ask why mommy and daddy didn't leave at the same house and why they were not married, and Donna recalls handling it fine - it didn't take much to convince a four-year-old at least for a while until she asked again a couple of weeks later. After several explanations from Donna, Mia stopped reliving the subject for the best part of her childhood. And now, there it was rising again. It felt different this time. She had grown. She wouldn't accept any shallow excuses now.

"What did you answer?" Donna's voice intruded the air above them again, pulling Harvey back to reality. His eyes blinked twice as he followed her gaze to the floor.

"Do you really wanna know?" He inquired sheepishly, pursing his lips. They both knew it was better if they didn't discuss it with each other at all, avoiding unnecessary arguments to settle in. They'd probably have different answers for that question and this was nobody's fault. The smartest way to respect that was deliberately not talking about it.

If only they knew their answers would have been so alike. Fear. Suppressed desire for so many years resulting in a potential risk of damage for their family. Plus some more fear.

"You're right. I don't. That's between you two."

Harvey shrugged, realizing he should head back to his office and finish his paperwork, not particularly looking forward to spending his evening at the firm tonight. It was one of those rare times he wanted to relax at home, scotch and Star Trek being his company - not that those were his first choice, for the record. It's because those were just his only option available right now.

Harvey twisted to pace towards the office door when they heard Mia running back to them. She seemed more chilled now than minutes before, which puzzled Harvey's mind. How could children get over stuff so rapidly? He on the other side was pretty aware he'd be thinking about all of that for the rest of the day. That was so unfair.

He quit his movements when Donna shared a look with him, both probably thinking about the conversation they just had as Mia launched herself on Donna's lap, completely oblivious to the tension created before her arrival. The older redhead changed her position on the chair, adjusting her daughter between her legs and putting a lock of hair behind the child's ear.

"Thanks for the bagel, baby girl. It was pretty good," Donna kissed her cheek.

"It was daddy's choice. He said you would like it," Mia declared, smiling at Harvey.

"Well, daddy was right," the woman gazed back at him. He was quietly observing.

"I have an idea. Why don't you join us for dinner tonight, dad? Wouldn't it be amazing, mom?" her eyes were tentative, and Donna knew what she was doing. So did Harvey, after everything that happened today. They couldn't blame the kid for wanting some quality time with both of her parents, though. There was no harm in that, and her excitement just made it harder for them to turn her down.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Donna shook her head, trying not to gasp, "it would be nice if you want, Harvey," she gave him an affectionate look.

"Well, I can't say no to that," he smiled in their direction. Mia was vibrating with his response and Donna's pulse speeded up by catching the sweet crinkle on the edge of Harvey's eyes.

"Great! Now excuse me, I have to tell Uncle Mike you loved his idea," she left her mother's lap and rushed out of there again, leaving two dazed people in the room.

"She said it was her idea," Donna pointed out, shaking her head.

"I told you. She's on fire today."

"Well, hotshot. At least you were wrong about one thing," the woman bit her lips in anticipation. Harvey's confused look pleased her even more, "turns out she's not_ all mine_ tonight anymore," Donna mocked his previous statement, causing him to laugh.

"Yeah, well, you should be thanking me for accepting to share the little trouble with you," Harvey attempted to bounce back, realizing he'd failed miserably by the loud laugh that was escaping from Donna's throat.

"Nice try, Specter, nice try."

…

**Well, I'm very insecure about this. It will be nice to hear your feedback! See you, people**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, guys! I am SO HAPPY for your feedback here. Really, it means a lot. I wasn't expecting it at all. Please don't stop! It always feels good to know your thoughts.**

**So, I was supposed to post this last week but life got in the way (as usual). I'm sorry about that. I hope you like this one :)**

**...**

"What on Earth are you doing?" Donna leaned on the door leaf, surprised to find Mia bending over her bathroom sink – at 6:30 in the morning – with her mother's mascara in hands. The girl was clearly struggling to apply it on her eyelashes, her face almost glued on the mirror with the effort.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mia retorted, her voice wailing impatiently.

"Okay, I don't like that tone," Donna raised her finger, her brows up as she approached the sink.

Mia sighed at the sight of her mother reflecting in the mirror, standing currently merely behind her. Donna had heard about the start of adolescence and how stubborn kids could get during those years, but experiencing it for the first time was not a delightful event.

"I'm sorry, mommy," she turned around, regret already over her features. "The thing is, I was trying something new today but apparently it's not working and it's definitely pissing me off," she cried in defeat.

"Sweetie... Don't you think maybe you're still too young for makeup?" Donna softened, reaching for the girl's cheek to cup it.

"We are never too young for makeup," Mia crossed her arms, and that's when her mother knew what she was doing.

"Okay, smartypants, do not use my words against me. I said that years ago in a completely different context," the older redhead let out a chuckle.

"And why's this different?"

"Because _that_ was just a pink lipstick for a birthday party, and this is mascara for going to _school_," Donna stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

The little girl rolled her eyes, "you don't get it, mom."

Donna bit her lips, watching her for a few seconds. Then, she grabbed Mia's hand. "Yeah, maybe I don't. So instead of whimpering about it, why don't you tell me what's going on?" She proposed, affectionately.

The child's eyes fluttered as she contemplated telling her mother about what was really upsetting her. Donna just lingered there, standing patiently in front of Mia and giving her all the time she needed to elaborate.

"There's this boy. His name is Liam," the girl started, unable to meet Donna's gaze. The woman lifted her brows, stunned with the revelation. She made an effort to get her shit together though, not willing to startle Mia in her moment of opening up. "He is from my class. And I... huh, I like him." When the girl finally peered at the woman's expression, Donna noticed it. Mia was _shy_. The mother was pretty sure she had never seen this version of her before.

"Whoa, that's big news, sweetheart," the redhead shook her head, gasping discreetly. Donna gathered all her strength and power to deal with this new development because the truth is she was not expecting it, but she also wanted to be supportive. "So you wanna look good for him to notice you, is that it?"

"Isn't it what you do to impress daddy?" Mia teased in an effort to lighten her own mood, seeing that she was tense. As soon as Donna fired her with a stare, she dropped the joke. "Just kidding. And no, I don't wanna look good just for that. I thought he liked me too, you know, but then this mean girl Julie started to steal his attention and now I feel like... Uh, I just need to do something, mommy," Mia exhaled.

"Let me guess. Julie wears mascara?"

"Yep. _And_ red lipstick." She sat on the floor, lifting her knees and crossing her arms around them.

Donna decided to sit in front of her, not breaking eye contact. She still remembered her own first crush, so she knew her support was important to Mia. She needed her girl to feel understood and to know her mother was there for her, even if she was caught by surprise herself. And even knowing boys come and go very quickly at this age. Donna had always known this would happen someday and now that it had, her mind was found buried in a mess of cliche thoughts. Geez, Mia was growing so damn fast. Wasn't she taking her first steps like yesterday?

"I know what you're feeling, princess, but listen to mommy when I tell you this: you shouldn't try to be someone you're not just to get a guy's attention. It's not fair to yourself. I can assure you that," Donna said it in the kindest way she could.

"But mom, if I don't do anything then I'll lose him forever," the eleven-year-old stared at her mother as she gave her a small toothless smile.

"Mia, if he trades you for her than you will know he never deserved or liked you in the first place. There will be nothing to be sad about," she caressed the girl's hair in an attempt to calm her down. It didn't work.

"But I don't wanna lose him for her! Why are you telling me those things anyway? You don't know how to do this. You _failed_, mom. I don't wanna fail too." Mia gesticulated with exasperation. Donna frowned at this rebuttal, flustered with the girl's word choice.

"Mia, what are you even talking about?"

"I'm talking about you and daddy. I know you love him, mommy, and you always stick around but you never threat to cross a line and make him yours for good. So instead, I have to sit and watch you help him to give a present to _Scottie_ while you're the one he should be giving one to. So I'm sorry if I don't wanna do the same thing with Liam, mom. I won't let him slip through my fingers when I have the power to stop it."

Mia had tears popping in the eyes. Donna was shocked. She didn't even know if this was truly about that Liam kid or her relationship with Harvey anymore.

"Sweetheart, I care about your father and that's why I helped him that day. The situation is nothing like yours now and I can promise you that," that's all she managed to say, her voice cracking and her vision blurry. Mia's speech touched a sore spot, and it was harsh. How did she even know about the situation with Scottie anyway? It had been more than a year ago.

"It has everything to do with this. You let him go too, mom," the girl lowered her voice, frustration taking over her whole body.

Donna was silent, then. She saw what this was truly about and felt powerless. It was complicated, indeed. Donna had always prized to protect Mia from hers and Harvey's issues, for the sake of the girl's childhood. She had struggled for Mia to be happy despite the awkwardness of having two parents so close to each other and so not together at the same time. Donna had also always known it may confuse Mia's head. But until the present... She'd thought they were doing a great job. Apparently not.

"Mia... Why are you so obsessed with this just out of a sudden?"

"He told you," she stated, not exactly a question. Donna just sighed, meeting her eyes. "Look, I swear I'm not saying those things for my own benefit. I'm thinking of you two, mommy. I love both of you and I just wanted you guys to be truly happy but you can't seem to figure this out by yourselves." Mia glanced down. "Oh and don't say you're already happy because you have me, it doesn't count," she added.

"Why not?" Donna tried a smile.

"Because dad said that same thing," the kid rolled her eyes.

Donna bit her lower lip. "See? This can only prove one thing: great minds think alike," the mother leaned forward, seeking for some proximity with her girl, "and your father and I always do that. Wanna know something else we really think alike?" When Mia nodded, the woman proceeded, "He and I agree we don't wanna be together. That's why our situation has nothing to do with yours, to begin with. Mia, if this Liam boy doesn't want to be your... 5th-grade sweetheart," she paused, contemplating this title, "then you should let him go. You're perfect the way you are and someday some boy will have eyes only for you."

Mia nodded, wiping a tear that fell from her left eye with her hand. The girl frowned when she saw the black wet stain on her finger, due to the mascara still heavily wrapping her eyes. Donna chuckled at the scene.

"What do say about we clean you up and go eat our pancakes?" The mother suggested, brightening the air above them.

Mia contemplated her answer for a few seconds before muttering sheepishly, "huh, what if I still want to wear your mascara today?" When Donna frowned, though, the little redhead hurried to clarify, "you know, just to show Liam what he's losing."

Donna beamed then, amused by Mia's idea.

"In that case... I'll say come here that I will apply this for you myself." They laughed together, the child jumping in her mother's arms for a warm hug. Donna melted at the action, her heart not aching anymore from the previous conversation. At least, not too much. Not in a way she wasn't already used to.

The woman positioned Mia in front of her then, cleaning the smudged makeup with a tissue and starting to apply the mascara in a smooth and discreet way.

"Mommy," the girl called after a while.

"Hm?" She hummed, concentrated.

"Just for the record... daddy it's the one that has eyes only for you."

...

Donna stepped out of the elevator, her signature sway on the hips marking her way. Even in a hurry, Donna was always remarkable. She got later than usual this morning, the situation back home with Mia being the cause of that. When she stumbled into Mike in the middle of the way towards her desk, though, she couldn't help herself to stop and call him out onto something.

"Hey you," Donna waited for Mike to turn at her before spilling it, "you really need to stop talking to my daughter about me and Harvey."

With all the time she had between her delicate dialogue with Mia earlier that day and now, Donna was able to think it over. It wasn't difficult to assume the only logical person that could've been telling Mia about things like Scottie's gift was Mike.

Her suspicions were confirmed by the cocky grin peering upon his lips. Mike didn't even bother to hide. It was not the first time this had happened anyway. The puppy shook his head, eyeing the ground and sighing deeply before responding.

"She's hurting. And she's asking. What am I supposed to do?"

"Try coming up with an answer that doesn't provide details of things that happened way too long ago," Donna arched her eyebrows. Of course Mike rolled his eyes in response. She knew he rooted for her and Harvey to happen almost as much as Mia did.

"Fine, whatever. But you should do something about this, it's not fair to her," he pointed his finger at the woman before resuming his walk in the opposite direction.

"I'm handling it."

Donna muttered louder as she saw the kiddo's silhouette exits her field of view. She sighed, having enough of this crisis already. When it wasn't the firm, it was her personal life. Why couldn't she just have any peace?

Heading to her desk and feeling miserable about the fact it had been a shitty day and it was still 8:30, Donna recalled being miserable wasn't her thing. Sure, Mia was struggling with messed emotions Donna knew it would hunt her someday, Mike was being stubborn, apparently _she'd failed_ on something, but she wouldn't let it get to her head. That's when it popped up, simply as a shiny light bulb. A brilliant idea to deal with this issue, and show her daughter their current family status was not the disaster she thought it was.

Donna reached her boss's glass door, determination running through her veins.

"Harvey, I'm clearing everything from your schedule after 3 p.m.," she wasn't requesting, she was telling. Strict and blunt.

"Good morning for you too," the man lifted his eyes from the laptop, genuinely intrigued by an exasperated Donna standing in his front. "May I ask why's that?"

"Because you and I are going to pick up Mia at school this afternoon and take her to her dance class," she reasoned, shrugging.

"Why? Are Clara and Jim busy today?" The frown on his face almost made her roll her eyes. Everybody seemed to be testing her patience today.

Except for it wasn't Harvey's fault. He couldn't know. Donna mentally shook off her uneasiness, sighing. She could swear she wasn't unsettled by Mia's words. Yet why were those words hovering in her ears until this very second?

She dropped her shoulders before clarifying, "no, it's just that she's having a bad week and I think maybe she needs her parents to cheer her up a bit."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm Donna, remember?" She clamored, playfulness finding a place on her gaze.

Harvey mirrored her look. "Donna, seriously, what did she tell you?"

"Nothing, why can't you believe I know my kid without her having to say something to me?"

He raised his brow. Sure, he was very aware of her skills. The thing is he also knew her very well to believe there was nothing else she was hiding from him at that moment.

"Fine. She's having a boy problem. But for the record, I knew something was wrong before she tells me," Donna surrendered, crossing her arms and waiting for his reaction.

The horrified gaze on Harvey's face was something definitely worth a picture. Donna held back a laugh.

"_A boy problem_? Jesus, she is eleven!"

"So what? How old were you when you had your first girl problem?"

"I don't have girl problems."

It was her turn to raise her brow. No way she was buying that bullshit.

Harvey rolled his eyes dramatically. "Fine. Tell me what's the guy's name and I'll go over there to teach him a lesson."

Donna narrowed her eyes, finding fun at his nonsense. "First, you are not going anywhere. And second, he is just a kid, Harvey."

"I don't care, he messed with the wrong girl," he retorted, not sure why she was glowing. He was certainly not enjoying the situation from any point of view.

"Stop being such a caveman, hotshot. She can handle it." The redhead teased, turning around to put an end to this conversation.

"Hey, I don't recall you complaining when it was me hitting Stephen Huntley for messing with you," he teased back, his amusement noticeable by the twinkle in his eyes. Donna whirled back, biting her lips with awe.

"This is completely different, Stephen was a murderer!" Her tone was giddy and the man chuckled, easily getting distracted from his daughter's issue.

"We don't know if this kid isn't one too," he shrugged, attempting to rebuild his point.

Donna laughed louder than she anticipated, incredulous with Harvey's stubbornness.

"Geez, Harvey, just shut up and get back to work. It's the best for everyone," she shook her head, leaving his office before they could remain in this forever.

Adjusting herself on her desk, Donna still had that ridiculous grin and foolish expression all over her face. How could she get into his office feeling terrible and leave five minutes later feeling that lightness, she would never understand.

Nothing to do with the fact that her heart was so his, that he had this kind of power over her.

She would never admit it to herself, though.

Donna tried to focus on the pile of paperwork begging for her attention, but her mind wasn't on her side. Thoughts uncontrollably flickering back to minutes ago when Harvey Specter acknowledged with zero ambiguities that he _did_ hit Stephen because of her. Hence, she sensed an internal fight beginning. This shouldn't feel so breathtaking, and she shouldn't be overthinking it. Because she was supposed to not feel anything. In fact, she did believe she didn't feel anything. Didn't she? Donna closed her eyes, sometimes she felt awfully tired of her own drama.

Allowing herself to drag into these thoughts for too long would be a mistake, fact. It was dangerous territory, also a fact. But... screw it. If it were a mistake, let it be. She was choosing to make it, and she wouldn't apologize for that. Plus, she had been there before and had managed to recover once. She sure she could manage it twice, right?

Maybe. Except for the only thing she hadn't realized yet was that deep down, she had never recovered at all.

...

"So... the three of us together twice in a week, careful or someone could think you're missing me around," Harvey didn't know why he said it. Maybe he was testing the waters. Maybe he was still affected by his conversation with Mia earlier that week.

He sure as hell knew he wasn't fighting the urge to do it, to tease her about their relationship every now and then. And she seemed to like it.

"You say that to every woman?" She bent her head to him, the strong wind making her hair blow like crazy. It was a beautiful sight, Harvey admitted.

It was a chilly afternoon in February. They were outside Mia's school along with several other parents waiting for their children to leave.

"Only the ones I have kids with," he winked, flirtatiously.

Donna widened her eyes with mock disbelief, "oh, so Mia has siblings now?"

"You wouldn't know that," he pushed her even more, not missing the annoyed looks she was throwing him.

"Okay, you better stop joking with that now because it's not like it isn't possible, so..."

"Hey, you're offending me!" Harvey clamored promptly, smirking despite his statement.

"Am I lying?" She stared, pretentiously.

"Mom doesn't lie," a third voice joined them, making the pair turn around and see their little redhead approaching. "Where's granny?" She frowned.

"Hey, sweetheart! Good to see you too," Donna glimmered, leaning ahead just enough to kiss the girl's cheek as Harvey helped her with the school bag.

Mia snickered lightly. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you two here."

"We wanted to make a surprise. We're taking you to your dance class and then we'll go to grab an ice cream together. What do you say?" Harvey smiled fondly. Mia's excitement was definitely his soft spot, but this time it wasn't excitement what he got from her. Instead, she seemed baffled.

"Oh, that's nice," her smile didn't reach her eyes, and Donna started to worry. She and Harvey shared a glance, both acknowledging this wasn't her normal behavior. Mia loved ice cream. And the fact her parents rarely allowed her to have it in the winter should be a good reason to cheer her up.

Harvey was observing Mia carefully when he noticed something else. He neared Donna's face and whispered with turmoil, "is she wearing makeup?"

"Shhhh," she scolded him, not the time for this topic. "So, baby girl, how was your day?" Donna chanced as they drifted towards the parked car. Usually, when the three of them were hanging out together, Harvey would dismiss Ray for the day in order to have more privacy.

"Interesting, actually," the girl said, getting inside the Aston Martin and watching her father open the passenger door to her mother.

When they were all settled, Harvey turned on the engine and started to drive through the streets of Manhattan.

"Does it have to do with..."

"No," Mia denied abruptly. It wasn't about Liam. After her discoveries of the day, Liam wasn't the first topic in her mind anymore. "It's something else. The truth is if I was already confused about your relationship this week, now I'm definitely worse," Mia muttered, curiosity and disturbance eating her up.

"Why's that?" Harvey glanced at her through the mirror, never switching his attention from the traffic.

"Well..." Mia tried to find the right words, suddenly feeling uncomfortable, "we learned about reproduction in Biology class today."

"Oh." Donna choked and closed her eyes. Harvey eyed the woman and pursed his lips, holding back his need to laugh.

"Really? What did your teacher say?" He took control of the conversation, seeing that Donna was way too startled to speak.

"She told us what grown-ups do when they want a baby. She said men thrust their... penis inside women's vaginas and then there's a liquid... what's the name of that again?" Mia rambled, oblivious to the looks their parents were sharing with each other.

"Okay we get it you don't need to go further," Donna gasped, unsure of what to say.

"Everybody was so shocked. I mean, this is so gross! I'll have to do it if I ever want a child?" Mia exclaimed, and it was Harvey's turn to gasp at the idea.

"No! You could always adopt. You definitely don't ever need to do it," he rushed to say, eliciting a glare from Donna.

"_Harvey_."

"What?"

She sighed, "Mia, it certainly sounds gross now but..."

"_Donna_," he interrupted, not wanting her to spill the rest.

"I can't believe you guys did this," the girl silenced both of them. "Why have you never told me? Besides, why would you guys try to have a child together anyway?" Mia felt betrayed.

"We weren't exactly trying..." Harvey whispered, making the woman next to him to shove his arm.

"Quiet," Donna muttered. The situation was getting more comical each second.

"The teacher said you need to love someone to do that. Then I thought of you so I was like, what the hell?!" Mia was shooting them with several pieces of information, sparing the two no time to figure out how to handle this.

"Mia, language," Donna uttered.

"It's not that simple, kid," Harvey shook his head.

"Care to explain?" She snorted.

There was silence.

Harvey hesitated before letting out a breath. "You do it when you love someone, yes, but..." He looked at Donna, who instantly wanted to laugh so badly at his nervousness, "it's not the only reason," he stammered.

"Are you telling her the other reason?" Donna raised an eyebrow.

"I think it's best if you tell her," he teased.

"Coward," the redhead crooned, narrowing her eyes. "How am I supposed to tell her that you couldn't keep it in your pants?"

"I wasn't the one waiting with a can of whipped cream!" He exclaimed.

"Are you guys done speaking in codes?" Mia crossed her arms impatiently.

"I wish we were speaking in codes," Harvey mumbled. Donna dropped her jaw, alarmed by his lack of shame.

"Okay, honey, I know you're confused about this," the redhead shifted on her seat in order to get a better sight from the girl behind them. "The thing is... stop laughing, Harvey, this is serious," she raised a finger at him.

"I'm trying!"

Donna closed her eyes, sighing. She couldn't be entirely transparent in her response, otherwise they would end up taking away all her innocence, and it was still too soon for that.

"The thing is," Donna restarted slowly, "sometimes, people are confused about their feelings for one another... And they may end up doing sex anyway because it's not only about making kids, you know, it's also to show love," she aimed, peering at the man beside her a couple of times. "So it happens that people, still not sure of how they feel, do it and only realize later that... in truth, they're not in love."

Mia blinked a few times, processing it. Harvey knew what Donna was doing, and he appreciated it. He had no doubt she would find a way out of the labyrinth Mia had put them in, cause' she was good at this. And he was glad they didn't have to destroy her purity just yet.

"That's what happened to you?" She asked after a while.

Harvey and Donna exchange a glance, communicating everything they needed before proceeding.

"Yeah, something like that," Harvey shrugged.

It wasn't the truth. But what was the truth anyway? Of course they didn't do it only out of some sort of confusion about some kind of feelings rising between them. It was also not out of pure attraction and lust. Maybe a mix of the two? Donna was not sure. Neither was Harvey, to be honest.

The only thing they both wordlessly agreed was that after that night, they couldn't say there weren't feelings hovering between each other anymore. After all, Donna had longed for a relationship with him and Harvey had had a hard time imagining a life without her by his side. The problem is neither of them had the courage to name that feeling, or even act on it. In love or not, the only thing they knew was that night had been different from everything else. And special. Much before a pregnancy got to the picture.

"We're here," Donna broke the silence in the car as Harvey pulled in the dance studio. "Baby girl, we'll be waiting for your class to be over in the coffee shop, okay?"

"Okay, mommy. See you guys in an hour," Mia took off her seat belt, leaving the car and running inside the place.

...

"This Biology class couldn't have come in a worse time," Donna sighed, taking a seat next to Harvey in the little table. "Now we had to pretend we've had feelings for each other back then."

Harvey had just bought them two cups of coffee, along with some muffins from the studio's coffee place.

"If she wasn't leaving us alone before, now it's getting three times worse," Harvey agreed, shaking his head and smiling. "She is a Paulsen-Specter after all."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Donna smirked into her coffee, taking a sip and appreciating the warmth the liquid provided.

"It means she's trouble," he said that with a slightly proud tone, which made Donna roll her eyes. "When she puts something in her head, she never drops it."

The conversation faded as the redhead leaned back on her chair, tightening her grip on the coffee cup. She started to pay attention to the surrounding kids, all of them wearing dance outfits and running around the studio full of energy.

Donna smiled at the view, but it faded quickly. Her mind drove directly to Mia and to everything they had been through until now. Donna would never forget all the effort she'd made for her girl to feel like she had a normal childhood despite their strange family. Dance class was one of those things. Mia loved it, and for years it had been the perfect thing to distract her from the real and complicated world.

And now... Donna sensed all her effort slipping through her fingers. Mia was slowly discovering the chaos of real life. She was struggling to deal with it.

"Do you think we did everything wrong?" The woman let out after a couple of minutes immersed in silence. Harvey looked at her, frowning. "About the way we decided to raise her," she clarified.

He straightened his position, darting directly to her eyes, "don't you ever say that again. You're the best mom I've ever seen, Donna."

"But, Harvey–"

"No buts." The man stopped her right away, "Donna, listen to me. This is just a new phase of her life and it's not going to last forever. We've always known this day would come, when she would make questions and be upset about our relationship and God knows what else. It was inevitable and you know that. It's not your fault."

His little speech is something that surprised her, in a good way. She loved it when, once in a while, he revealed this side of him to her. A caring side. A soft one.

Donna cleared her throat, maintaining her composure. "I just hate seeing her suffer," she gave him a half-smile, showing appreciation for the words he'd just given her.

"You're not the only one. But we are here for her, she's not alone and you shouldn't fear anything," he did it again. And to think she had ever thought Harvey Specter didn't do the comfort thing...

Another gap of silence intruded. It wasn't awkward, though. Their minds were busy enough with reflections to even notice the amount of time that passed.

"I just realized, she didn't even mention Liam in the car," Donna started again.

"Is that the name of the problem?"

"Yeah silly, that's his name," she snickered.

"Perhaps she kicked his ass and he'll learn to never hurt her again," Harvey smiled at the image, and the woman chuckled as she nursed her coffee. "Huh, first love sucks," Harvey enhanced, eyes lost.

"Love in general sucks," she rebutted and it was clever because, for a moment there, it felt like they had switched places. So they both laughed softly.

"Yeah, well, I can agree Stephen was not a nice experience," he argued, biting his muffin.

Donna shuddered at the memory, "oh, I'm glad he never got to meet Mia in person."

Harvey chuckled. She knew he was glad too. He remembered how much Donna had apologized to him for putting Mia in risk by dating a murderer. He remembered even more of him telling her she couldn't have known and he would never blame her.

"You know what she told me today?" The woman exhaled, and Harvey was able to recognize defeat in her mask. He looked clueless, waiting for her to tell him. "That I failed with you. And that's why we aren't together."

"What?" He shook his head, bewildered. "She's totally obsessed with this lately, isn't she?" Harvey rolled his eyes.

Donna hadn't planned on telling him about that part of her conversation with their daughter. But here they were, sitting and talking heart-to-heart and not losing their pranks in between, that she just felt she wanted to share. It should have no harm in that, right? They were friends.

"Exactly, it's been a tough week," she was not meeting his eyes, though. "Thankfully I'm passing the ball to you in a couple of days."

He snickered at her teasing, and then waited for a few seconds before acknowledging, "failed with me... This is nonsense."

Donna lifted her hands, "yeah! I mean, let's face it, if I ever want to have you it would take me a snap of my finger to do it," she had a bantering smile peering on her lips as Harvey glared at her and scowled.

"Very funny," he retorted, immediately smiling at the sound of her giggles.

"Just admit it, you wouldn't resist my charming," she lowered her voice and rested her arms on the table.

"You are charming every day and I _do _resist it," he said, not really thinking through his words. His response caught her unexpected, but before she could reveal her surprise along with her features, Donna chose to use her acting skills and simply laughed at his statement.

Noticing they were fiddling too much with the limits of their lines, the two smoothly started to change the course of the conversation to something less dangerous.

Not much time later, Mia's class was over and the sky was getting darker. Nonetheless, the three were heading to the ice cream shop to enjoy some quality time together and show Mia they could be happy just the way things currently were. As the family they weren't.

Everyone who looked from the outside would be shocked if you say they weren't an actual family, though, cause'... Donna and Harvey could deny it how much they pleased, but the two craved for those moments as much as their daughter did. And this time, something indeed felt different around them.

Donna couldn't say if it were for the lingering looks Harvey was giving her. Harvey couldn't say if it were for the soft smiles she was throwing him. But Mia, instead, could definitely say it was for the several things she had to repeat throughout the night – one of them was often too distracted by each other to focus on what she was saying.

"Wouldn't it have been nice?" The girl let out at some point. Her parents frowned, trying to catch up with her thoughts, "if you guys had found out you were in love with each other back then. When you made me."

"Oh," Donna's heart skipped a beat. She glanced at Harvey and that's when they both answered in a unison.

"Yes, it would have been nice."

**...**

**AND I'm leaving things here. Tell me your thoughts, I'm excited to know! See you soooooon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm late once again, but this one is slightly bigger than the others. I'll do better about my timing. I'm very excited about this story (it's gonna have around 10 chapters), you guys make my day with your reviews! Thank you so much :))**

…

"Let me get this straight," Rachel strongly blinked, "an eleven-year-old tells you that you're a failure for not pulling off a relationship with her father years ago, then you get all depressed because you think she's right?"

"That's not what I meant," Donna exhaled, shaking her head.

"But that's what you said," the brunette insisted, her eyes curiously scanning her friend as she took a sip of wine in the meantime.

"You are twisting my words. I said I'm sad because _she_ is sad about it. I don't like seeing her that disappointed, you know," she debated.

Donna hadn't been sure whether she wanted to fill Rachel in about all the recent events of her turbulent life or not. Still there they were, spending alcohol and a beautiful evening on Mia's newest drama – and also her own, if she was honest. After initiating, Donna recalled why she didn't want to say anything in the first place. Rachel would always tend to encourage her about a relationship with Harvey. And about feelings she could promise she didn't have. It could get annoying.

"Donna, frankly? It sounds like you're fooling yourself," the younger woman adjusted herself on her couch. She was tipsy, Donna could tell. That usually made her blunter.

The redhead refused to answer, not interested in going down that road again. She opted for a meaningful glare toward her friend's eyes. That's why Rachel huffed.

"I know you said a few weeks ago _things turned out the way they were supposed to_," the woman quoted, using a thin voice to emphasize it, "but now I'm wondering... If maybe, the truth is you unconsciously think you'll end up with Harvey someday."

"What?" Donna narrowed her eyes, "of course not. That's ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous if you feel something for him," she implied.

"I don't."

"Well, you did want a relationship with him by that time," Rachel didn't miss the largest sip of wine her friend forced down her throat.

"That was eleven years ago. I was a single first-time pregnant woman. It's natural to crave for some companionship, you know," Donna reasoned and Rachel couldn't rely on how deep her friend's denial was rooted.

"So you're saying you were never in love with Harvey?" the youngest pursued.

The redhead crossed her legs on the couch, sighing. She knew which train of thought the brunette was following, thus she decided to just skip to the last part and end this for good. "Rach, don't you get it? It would be amazing if we were in love with each other. It means we could be together and spare Mia of the suffering, but unfortunately, that is not the case."

Even though Rachel never asked about Harvey's perceptions of the situation, she chose to let it go. Donna clearly wasn't ready to accept her own emotions yet. Besides, it had been stressful months anyway. First they had Louis stepping up as name partner and using Mike's secret for it. Now, Mia was opening a questioning box right to her parents' skins and not in a gentle way. Donna just needed time.

"I get it. I just think it's very weird you never seem to be capable of making it right with anyone else," the woman outlined a painful smile. Her heart endured with Donna's. It always had and always would. "You should think about that."

The redhead gripped her glass forcefully, smiling back with tenderness despite her distress, "I guess I just didn't find the right guy yet," she shrugged.

There was silence. Both women contemplating the magnitude of the situation. Rachel felt frustrated. She wished she could do something to help her best friend seeing what was right in front of her face. And as a bonus, maybe do something to open Harvey's goddamn eyes too. They were losing so much time for nothing. Even Mia could acknowledge that. When the hell did this get so complicated? Why weren't they able to communicate like normal people? They knew each other like nobody else. What could possibly be those fears? Feelings were supposed to be the peace in the battle of life. Not a weapon.

In a way, Rachel was glad their genes didn't corrupt Mia and the little girl was able to see through that. If anyone had it in them to make the pair see the truth hanging above their heads, it was her.

Rachel shook her head. She didn't want to make this more awkward. It was time to bring up some fun into her living room.

She bit her lips in anticipation, calling Donna's attention. "Tell me only one more thing then," she started, "you are at least attracted to him, right? Physically, I mean," eagerness took over her features and the woman next to her chuckled.

"Course I am. That's the worst part. Is it on my head or do we have some sort of physical chemistry?" Donna rolled her eyes, eliciting a laugh from Rachel.

"Yeah, you two definitely have."

...

"We should do a girl's night," Mia stated, sitting in the middle of Harvey's bed, wrapped around unicorn pajamas. She had a ponytail on her red hair and a bright smile on her lips.

Harvey had just walked into his room, smiling fondly at the view. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, I'm not a girl," he lifted his eyebrow, taking off his tie and strolling over the closet to change his clothes.

"So what?" Mia said louder in order to make him listen from there. "It doesn't mean we can't do girl's night stuff. Come on, you'll love it."

Harvey's week of having Mia over just started and she was energetic. He was used to it, at least. Every Monday when the girl drifted back to his apartment after a week at Donna's, she would be extremely excited to tell him everything about her prior days. One of Mia's favorite things was spending time at home with her father. She adored it when he gave her full attention and shared about his life too. First, she would tell him about school and then he would brag about the firm only for making her laugh. Sometimes Harvey would even detailed explain an interesting case he was working on if she requested. Other times he would just complain about Louis and make some mimicking. Either way, those moments were almost a ritual for the girl at this point.

Those Monday's evenings were sacred to Harvey as well. It was his time to simply be there with and for her. His time to be the father he wanted to be. Having fun together, laughing and eating, but also talking about serious stuff like why she should study more for improving her D on English.

Mia was wearing a mischievous smile when he got back in the room, wearing sweatpants and a jumper. For a second there, the man thought he could easily confuse Mia with Donna. He was impressed by the child's ability to make the same expressions as her mother did.

"You know, mommy is having a girl's night with aunt Rachel right now," she continued. She knew he would give in soon.

"How do you know that?"

"We text each other," she shrugged, not missing the mock jealousy on his eyes. Mia and Donna were inseparable. Even if he liked pretending he was hurt about feeling left aside sometimes, Harvey cherished the relationship the girls had.

"Okay," the man sat on the edge of the mattress, "what do girls do in a girl's night?"

"Many things, but I guess you wouldn't be interested in hair and makeup."

"You guessed right," he made a face.

Mia giggled, "well then, I guess we could watch a cheesy movie together. With hot chocolate and ice cream."

"One thing is warm, the other is cold." Harvey frowned.

"Exactly! Isn't it amazing?" She leaned on her knees, her enthusiastic face contrasting with Harvey's.

"Fine, fine. But cheesy movies? Why don't we talk about how was your week like we always do?" The man could swear the last time he had seen a cheesy movie, it had been with his mom. Before the cheating situation showed up in his life. Meaning, way too long ago.

Mia rolled her eyes. Ignoring his protests, she grabbed the remote and turned the TV on Netflix. "I don't wanna talk about my week. I want to watch _To all the boys I've loved before_. Are you in or not?"

He observed amused as the girl found a comfortable place between his pillows, setting the movie ready. A low voice inside him told him that maybe she didn't want to talk about her week because of that Liam kid Donna mentioned. Perhaps that was her way of avoiding the subject, since it hadn't been an easy thing to deal with.

Harvey glanced at the TV and then back to his daughter, sort of tickled by her slackness.

"For the record, smartypants, this is my bed _and _my TV," he pointed, seeing her grinning with pettiness. "Alright. Since you're watching it with or without me, I might as well join you anyway."

Harvey finally gave up, determined to help her forget whatever she was struggling to forget. In an instant he was marching to the side of the bed and launching himself on the pillow next to the girl. She was tossed to the side with his impact on the mattress, making them both laugh.

"Nothing better to do, huh?" Mia bit her lips, hugging a pillow and resting her head on her father's stomach.

"Nothing is better than spending time with you," he dropped a kiss on her hair.

"Maybe spending time with mom?" Mia looked up expectantly, her eyelashes fluttering in a cute way in spite of her suggestive comment.

"I decline to answer."

The little redhead grimaced, "such a lawyer." Then, she took the remote again and prepared to hit the play.

"Are you sure you're old enough for this movie?" Harvey analyzed the synopsis as Mia started the movie.

"I already know what is sex, dad," she recalled him, which occasioned a shudder from the man.

He shook his head immediately, "does it have sex scenes?!"

"I don't know! I've never seen it!" Mia rolled her eyes. "Quiet already, it's starting."

"Just for you know, if it has sex scenes, I'll skip them."

"Whatever makes you feel good."

Eventually the two silenced themselves, focusing at the scenes rolling in front of them. Harvey sighed after a while, his thoughts stealing his attention a little more than the teen movie. In a way, this felt a bit awkward for him. Not only because it was certainly not his kind of film, but also because it reminisced him about childhood. And surprisingly, a good part of it. The part before everything was shattered into a million pieces. The part where he was happy. The part he and his mom were friends.

He missed her. After the years passed, mainly after Mia's birth, his anger got weaker but his pride heavier. He acknowledged that. And deep down, Harvey wished he could do something about it. Perhaps going to her, possibly apologizing. However, he still couldn't find the strength. He still couldn't feel ready. And he detested himself for that.

Detested himself because his lack of courage now affected not only him, but also his daughter. His only reassurance was knowing things could be worse than they currently were. When Mia was little, Donna had convinced him to at least talk to her about Lily and inform Lily about the little girl. Recently, Mia had even begun speaking with Lily through phone messages - with his own incentive. He knew it was important for them to have a relationship, despite his non-existent one with the woman. Still, grandmother and granddaughter had never met in person. And he was the one to blame.

"Uh, Peter Kavinsky is so cute. How is that possible?" Mia's voice intruded his thoughts, pulling him back to reality.

"I'm prettier than him," Harvey shrugged, ripping a chuckle out of her throat.

"Yeah, yeah," the girl patted his arm, pretending to agree with his remark. Harvey rolled his eyes, but smiled subsequently.

"Keep watching, I'm grabbing the Chunky Monkey," he sighed, forcing himself up and heading to the kitchen. Donna used to say their girl liked everything Harvey did, but Chunky Monkey was the perfect prove Mia also had a lot of Donna in her.

"Don't forget the hot chocolate!" She yelled.

Several minutes later, the two were still awake, immersed in Lara Jean and Peter's drama. The movie was almost in the end when Harvey left the room to go to the bathroom. He washed his face in an attempt to shake off his sleepiness. Determined to get back there and make it to the end of that endless movie, the man strode into his bedroom again – only to find his daughter drowning in tears. Her eyes puffy, her mouth sobbing, her cheeks wet.

What the hell had happened in the three minutes he wasn't there?

"Baby girl?" Harvey approached her, worry all over his features.

"What?" She muttered, urging to wipe up her tears.

"What happened?" He glanced at the TV, but nothing extraordinary was showing. "Did someone die in the movie?"

"No, daddy, it's just..." She shook her head, clumsy with her words. "It's not important. Just let it go."

"Mia, of course it's important. Look at you."

"Uh, this was a terrible idea," the girl groaned. "I thought this movie would distract me, but it's actually making it worse."

"Making what worse?" The man sat on the edge of the bed, taking Mia's left hand and stroking it.

"The fact that I won't ever have a Peter Kavinsky myself. In real life, boys choose the other girl. Not you," she spilled with anger, her eyes still wetting themselves.

"Is this about Liam?" He risked. She raised her eyes to his, bringing confusion on them.

"How do you know about him?" Mia gasped, "Oh. Mommy told you."

"She may have mentioned something. Listen, Mia, this is just a movie. You can't compare real life to it." His attempt was genuine, however, it was clear Harvey had no clue of how to calm her down.

"What's the point on making movies that aren't realistic anyway? This is just a source of illusion to manipulate naive girls. It's _mean_!" The child hid her head on the pillow, not willing to talk anymore.

Harvey sighed. "Well, because movies are supposed to tell the best stories. To cheer people up."

"It's not working," her voice was muffled.

"Mia, look..."

"Turn it off. I don't wanna see the ending." She lifted her head for a second before burying it again in the pillow.

"Mia, you're being unreasonable–"

"Just do it! Love is an illusion and I'm tired of it!"

Harvey pursed his lips and closed his eyes. Then, he did as she asked, getting up on his feet and grabbing his phone afterwards. The man searched for Donna's number and didn't think twice before hitting the calling button. He needed her for this crisis and it wasn't questionable.

"_Harvey, hey. Is everything okay?_" Donna hurried to ask. It wasn't common for him to call at that time on a weekday unless something had happened to Mia.

"Mia is crying because of Liam. I don't know what to do," he went direct to the point, roaming to his living room.

It would be so easier if she was there with them. She would know what to do and save Mia as she had always done for him. Harvey dismissed this thought, though. It was just about convenience anyway. It's not like he kept finding excuses to have her around for any other reason.

"_Oh, God. Is she saying something?_"

"No, she doesn't want to talk to me," he sighed with frustration.

"_You need to give her time, Harvey,_" Donna closed her eyes on the other side of the line. She was still at Rachel's. "_She's very sensitive these days._"

"I can see that. She said love is an illusion," he mumbled, hearing an ironic chuckle from Donna in response. "What?"

"_I don't know if I can take this anymore. She's been questioning love, Harvey. The most beautiful thing in the world. And she is stopping believing in it_."

"It's not our fault, Donna, I already told you that," he ran his hand through his hair, still listening to Mia's sobbing. The woman didn't answer, so he chose to continue, "look, I know you are with Rachel right now but... Just tell me what to do. We will deal with this issue one step at a time."

Donna exhaled, "_I just hope the ladder isn't too big_," she declared. Then took a few seconds to formulate. "_Well, you should just be on her side until she calms down. Only then you should try to say something. Tell her life is not a fairytale, yeah, but it's not a horror movie either. Tell her sometimes a person it's just not the right one. Even if they seem nice enough._"

"Like Josh Sanderson," he blinked with enthusiasm, finding the perfect example to give her.

"_Huh, I have no idea of who that is,_" she frowned.

"Oh, trust me. He's definitely not the right guy in the story. Just like Mark for you." He explained, stunning Donna with that remark.

"_Oh. I-I get it,_" she stammered, bewildered. "_But how could you know that?_"

Harvey shrugged, "I don't know. You were just too good for him."

"_You say that every time I start dating someone, Harvey,_" Donna rolled her eyes, but she had the tiniest curl on the side of her lips in a counterpart. So tiny she almost couldn't notice.

"Maybe it's because no one is good enough for you."

"_Well, that's the thing. The right person doesn't need to be good enough,_" she carefully developed. "_Tell her this one more thing. The right person usually won't be like she expects it to be. It won't be like the prince charming or something she pictured in her own way. It won't be perfect, good enough or whatever else. It will be just... the right fit. And she will know when that happens._"

Harvey gulped at those words. It didn't sound like she wanted to deliver them to Mia, but to him. His breath was caught locked in his lungs for a second. He didn't understand why a heatwave had hit him so badly.

"Do you know?" He found himself asking, in a low tone.

Donna was silent for a few moments, pondering her reply. Damn. She couldn't say _not yet_. As much as she craved for saying it, she just couldn't. And that was the first time Donna realized that maybe... Just maybe, her heart was indeed already taken. And Rachel had been probably right the whole time.

"_I don't know if I know._" It was almost a whisper. "_But my life is not a reference. Mia doesn't need to find things more complicated than she already thinks they are,_" Donna recovered.

Harvey's throat was dry. "Okay," he managed to speak, "I'll talk to her."

"_Good. Then we'll talk tomorrow_."

"Thanks, Donna."

"_Good night, Harvey_."

...

"Hey," Donna smiled anxiously when Harvey approached her desk. Their conversation last night still alive in her mind and nerves.

Donna wasn't the kind of person that replayed the same situation several times in her head after it happened. Yet, their latest phone call was an exception. Had she been too explicit? Had he noticed between the lines what she had actually meant? And especially, did she really feel that way? Really?

"Hey," his smile was tender, and Donna shivered slightly when he rested his arms on her cubicle walls. _Shit_. Either Mia and Rachel were starting to make her crazy, or... Maybe, she was finally opening her eyes.

Donna began remembering every other time she and Harvey had hung out together. And how exactly she felt by his side. She recalled that background feeling like she was completely able to truly rest with him next to her. And this whole time... She had convinced herself it meant nothing beyond loyalty and friendship. But she was reckoning it now, the fact her heart had always pleaded for his presence. Not because he was the perfect guy, far from that. But because he was the right fit. She wasn't capable of saying otherwise.

This realization was flustering. And Harvey had been the one causing it when he brought up Mark in the first place. Was that supposed to mean something?

"Donna? Are you okay?" His voice yanked her out of her bliss, causing her to close her eyes briefly.

"Yeah, sorry," the woman stared at him then. "So, how did it go last night with Mia?"

"Your advice was perfect," Harvey shifted the weight on his legs. He wasn't being successful in deciphering the woman. "But this morning she said she felt sick. She didn't want to leave bed. So she's home now, no school today."

"Sick? Did you believe her?" Donna widened her eyes.

"Yeah. I mean, why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know. This is just very weird. Sounds like she's sad and wants to avoid school," Donna sighed, looking down.

"Oh. It didn't cross my mind."

"I have an idea," the redhead got up immediately. "I'll need Ray."

"You going there?" Harvey followed her with his eyes as she grabbed her purse with determination.

"Someone needs to be the reasonable parent," Donna teased him as she started to step out of there, not wasting any more time.

"I can't, since I'm already the cool one!" He challenged, yelling at her direction. Donna shook her head but didn't turn around, laughing at his silliness and wanting to kill herself about getting so giddy with those jokes.

...

"Mia, get up. This is getting too far already," Donna stepped into her bedroom at Harvey's apartment, the child unsurprised by seeing her mother there. It was almost like she was expecting her. Or even like she had orchestrated this whole thing.

"I don't wanna go to school today," Mia whined, hiding her face on the pillow and tugging the blanket over her head.

"Then you go and lie to your dad?!" The redhead crossed her arms, approaching the bed.

"I just need some time away from Liam, Sophia and everybody else, mommy, please," the girl took a peek at her mother, allowing her eyes to show only for a fraction of second.

"Even Sophia? Isn't she your best friend?"

"Yeah but she's been really annoying lately," Mia's muffled voice made something click inside the woman's mind. The dots got connected and, suddenly, everything made sense. Everything sounded simple and clear, Donna finally had a hint of the reason why Mia was being so moody in the last couple of weeks.

"Sweetie," Donna bit her lips, sitting on the edge of the mattress. "You weren't lying about feeling sick, were you?"

The girl nodded, still underneath the blanket.

"Where does it hurt?" Donna pulled the covering, willing to see her kid.

"My stomach," Mia stared.

The oldest smiled, a stupid enthusiasm taking over, "I don't think it's your stomach."

The little redhead started tying her messed hair in a ponytail, baffled, "why do you seem so amused?"

"Well. Have you gone to the bathroom today yet?"

"No, I didn't," she kept her expression despite her curiosity growing large. "What is it, mommy?"

"I think you should go check for yourself," Donna appointed to the other door in the room, hearing a sigh leave the girl's lips but managing to make her stand up. Reluctantly, Mia paced to the bathroom and locked herself inside.

Donna clasped her hands together, still on the bed. It was such a natural thing and she wasn't even sure, but somehow she was thrilled. It would be a turning point in Mia's life, her body would begin to change and a mother's support and advice were always nice. Not a minute later, Donna got her confirmation. A loud scream ran through the apartment, making the woman outside giggle softly.

"Mom, I'm dying!" Mia opened the door abruptly, her skin pale. The mother struggled to not burst out laughing right there.

"You're not dying, Mia."

"Yes, I am! I'm bleeding!" She widened her eyes, resting her small hands on her belly.

"You just had your first period, baby girl," Donna stood up and closed the distance between them. Holding out her hand and encouraging Mia to take it, the woman snickered at the startled look the child was carrying.

"My first what?" Mia lowered her voice, processing the news.

"Remember your class about reproduction?" After the girl grabbed Donna's hand, she guided her inside the bathroom again and turned the shower on.

"Am I pregnant?! But I've never even done that disgusting..."

She laughed hard, "no, Mia! It's not that. Did your teacher say something about puberty?"

"Oh. Is that it?"

"Exactly. Come on, take a quick shower and I'll grab you some painkillers. Then I'll explain everything to you."

"Okay."

...

Thirty minutes later, the two girls were sitting in Harvey's couch, Mia with her wet hair and her body wrapped in a blanket, and Donna holding a pill and a glass of water. The woman had just explained everything to the girl about that new development, and Mia appeared to assimilate it promptly.

"Here, it's gonna take the cramps away."

"This is a very unusual pain," Mia muttered, snatching the pill and swallowing it in a hurry.

"Welcome to womanhood," she smiled, exhaling afterwards. "I called your father. He's bringing some pads for you from the store."

"What did he say?"

"He was... surprised. And said you're growing extremely fast to his like," Donna grimaced, mocking Harvey and eliciting a giggle from Mia.

"Uh, dad can be so cheesy," the girl shuddered, but beaming fondly.

Donna contemplated those words, sighing deeply. Her eyes left Mia's, a thoughtful atmosphere stealing the mood. She bit her lips after an instant, then letting out, "when he wants to be, he sure can."

Mia examined her mother for a couple of seconds. Therefore, she rolled her eyes. She couldn't stand this situation any longer. Mia was achieving her limits and she wouldn't be quiet about it. So, taking a deep breath, she spilled out, "You love him. I know you do."

Donna shook her head. She didn't feel prepared for this conversation again. Not now. Not in the middle of this mess. "You're not dropping this, are you?"

The girl curled the side of her lips, "well, actually I was. But last night... After the advice daddy gave me... I know he's good but, let's face it, no way he came up with that all by himself. I know he called you," Mia shot her a tentative look. Donna remained static. "And if you've said that to him... Mom. It's clear as water. You love him."

"Mia..." It physically hurt, Donna was able to feel it on her skin. The weight. The pain. All rising. All revealing themselves. Feeling weak of a sudden, there she was. Not strong enough to face it, and not strong enough to fight against it either.

"I know what you're gonna say, don't even bother yourself," the girl interrupted. Donna decided to overlook the misbehavior, her focus on something else. "You know, today I remembered when Aunt Rachel told me about that mock trial you guys had a couple of years ago. You didn't answer about your love for daddy if I recall correctly, right?"

"I didn't."

"I didn't understand that by the time. But mommy, you should know that this sounded like you do love him."

Enough. That was the word. Donna was tired. Tired of pretending, tired of her own denial, tired of her mess. She wanted to feel free. She wanted to _be_ free. And now, there was no visible way out. She better just throw the towel for good, what difference would it make anyway?

"What if I did, what do you suggest me to do?" Donna closed her eyes briefly, feeling exhausted. Her defeated tone altogether with her half-admission made Mia wide her eyes, caught completely astonished by the switch.

"Huh," the girl hesitated, making an effort to keep herself together, "you should try maybe... telling him," she shrugged, nervously. Mia wasn't expecting this outcome and now she found herself flustered, the look on her mother's face providing a knot on her stomach.

It was finally there. The confession she had always been looking for. However, not in the way she wanted – with that sense of failure and hopeless tone. The background feeling of frustration constantly hunting her didn't seem to leave yet.

"Mia, I love where your heart is. But we don't live inside a fairytale, sweetheart," Donna showed a sad smile. Her shoulders low, her breathing calm.

Mia exhaled, running out of patience. "Mom, have you ever been in his room?"

"No," she lifted her brow, not following her point.

"Well, he has a THOUSAND different colognes in that closet. And you know what? Whenever he's going to meet you, he _always_ wears the same exact one because he knows it's your favorite. _Always_." Mia gesticulated with exasperation, "And there's more! With Scottie, he didn't care about that at all. He used to wear with her the same one he does to go to the supermarket."

"Okay, slow down, puppy," Donna clenched Mia's hands, watching how much agitation had got onto her.

"I can't stand this anymore!" Mia whined, her eyes filling with tears.

"This what?" A third voice joined the environment, followed by the sound of the front door shutting. The two girls glanced at his sight as he stepped closer, holding a small bag.

"This pain," Mia promptly replied, not willing to reveal their actual subject.

"I told you, the medicine is gonna make it better soon," Donna followed her lead.

Harvey took a deep breath, "well, I know nothing about this. I even had to ask some random guy about where do sanitary pads stay."

Donna chuckled, shaking her head, "congrats, now you're definitely a girl's father," standing up, she approached the man and grabbed the bag from his hands. "Come with me, Mia. I'll show you how it's done."

The two headed to the bathroom again, and Harvey decided to take a glass of water and wait. He bent himself on the counter, thoughtfully. He knew Biology. He knew this was bound to happen soon or later. Still, it was kinda shocking. Like, geez, his daughter was turning to a teenager soon and he hadn't even fixed his issues yet. He hadn't even brought her to meet her grandmother. He hadn't done so many things he wished he would have by now. And there she was, growing up, not giving him the chance to be the father he willed to be. Not waiting for him to give her a proper family. Not giving him _time_. As if it were her fault instead of his own.

The chattering sound of the two returning to his living room pulled him out of his wanders. He observed them with tenderness.

"Done?" He asked.

"Yep. It's uncomfortable," Mia grimaced, straddling on her blanket again.

"You'll get used to it," Donna reassured.

Silence. Awkwardness. Harvey staring way too much. His perfume, the same one Mia mentioned minutes before, reaching her nose. _Damn_.

"What?" The woman let out, maintaining her attitude.

"Nothing. Just thinking." He sighed, looking at the floor, "you know, maybe we could drop her at your parents' house? Then she won't need to stay alone here in case she feels the pain again."

"It's a great idea. What do you think, baby girl?" They looked at her.

"Fine by me."

"I'll grab your stuff then," Donna played with her own fingers, anxiously. When she turned back to head to Mia's room, the woman stumbled upon Harvey's body, clueless about the fact he had moved to right behind her now. He held her elbow for a moment, his scent impossible to ignore this time. "Sorry," Donna mumbled, blinking twice and giving him a clumsy smile.

Feeling completely strange close to him, she speeded up her pace towards the room. He and Mia stayed there, in silence and not willing to move.

Mia sighed loudly after what felt like an eternity, murmuring at him, "she only does that with you, you know."

"Do what?" Harvey frowned, both keeping the tone low.

"Fluttering her eyelashes twice. She always does it when she's shy or flustered around you. I think it's an unconscious flirting move."

Harvey didn't answer at first, he knew Mia was watching him carefully. She was different this time, though. She wasn't expecting him to surrender or something like that. So, she just shrugged and smiled.

"She is a catch, daddy. It's a shame you're missing it."

He was startled by the statement, but before he could think of something to respond Donna appeared in the living room again. She was rambling about Mia's mess in her closet, and soon enough they were all talking about that. The previous subject was left hanging in the air, and more particularly, deep inside Harvey's mind.

...

The arrangement was Mia sleeping over at Clara and Jim's tonight, then she would come back to Harvey's apartment the next day. That's why both Harvey and Donna were still at the office by 9 p.m., the air between them feeling… odd.

"You're not leaving soon, are you?" Harvey sighed, pacing in the direction of the cubicle.

"Believe it or not, work is distracting me from my awful mind," she huffed, looking up to him.

"Scotch?" He offered.

"I could use some," Donna bit her lower lip while fluttering her eyelashes softly at him again. The man instantly recalled his daughter's words from that morning and something tightened inside his throat.

Opting for dismissing disturbing thoughts, the two roamed inside the glass office. Donna was launching herself on the couch while Harvey was heading to fill their glasses. Soon enough, he was sitting in front of her, the drink soothing his anxiety.

"I told you. You may be the best secretary NYC has ever seen, but... You're the best mom in the freaking world."

"And why's that?" The curiosity glance she gave him was genuine.

"The way you handled the situation today. You were awesome," Harvey put up a side smile, earning a soft chuckle from her.

"I did what every mom would do, Harvey."

"But you did it in the Donna way."

She shook her head, nursing the scotch. The chattering faded, both feeling too much vulnerable to speak. They were simultaneously struggling with multiple emotions in their minds, unaware of how lost the other was also feeling.

Harvey started staring at the redhead. Obviously she sensed it, her skin burning by the eye contact. She didn't look back, even though she could notice every move his eyes made on her. Donna concentrated on the rhythm of her breathing, fixing her glance on the coffee table in front of her. The atmosphere wasn't flirtatious like it always was. It was... kinda out of compass. They seemed disconcerted, coy, timid.

Donna suddenly found herself longing. Longing for him to say something. To make a move. Instead, he sustained the silence. Too afraid to act. Too comfortable only watching and imagining. It was all he allowed himself to have. It was all he judged to be what he deserved.

"She's growing," he chanced after a while, Donna locking her eyes with his immediately.

"I know."

"And we're still the same," he exhaled.

"What do you mean?" The redhead frowned.

Harvey reluctantly opened his mouth, but nothing came out. "Nothing. Never mind."

It was normal, almost as a habit. Nothing remarkable about that. Donna cursed herself for ever hoping for a change. Maybe it was not the way things were supposed to be and she should get over it for good. Otherwise... She wouldn't ever be entirely happy. She wouldn't ever be free.

…

**Guys, it was not an easy one to write. It's really nice to hear your thoughts, I'm expecting them! Please, make a writer happy and leave a review hahaha**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello guys! First, I wanna thank you for all the feedback you've been giving me, it matters so much for me!**

**So, I have a few things to say… hahahaha well, turns out this fic is harder to write than I thought it would be. I thought my biggest challenge would be the language, but it isn't. This storyline is not simple to develop. This chapter, mainly, because it's an important one and I had that awful writer's block while writing it. I finally managed to finish it this week. IT'S HUGE, PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I just hope it's up to your level hahaha**

**...**

Harvey had been acting weird for the last three days. More precisely, since the situation with Mia happened in his apartment. Donna had been racking her brain in order to figure out the reason for this behavior, constantly ending up with nothing. Mia had told her he seemed fine at home, except for a few moments when he stayed overly quiet to be normal. To Donna, this could be interpreted in several different ways. Perhaps his issue was something work-related. Perhaps it was something related to _herself_.

She sincerely had no idea, her only clue being his words from that night in his office. Harvey had rambled something about Mia changing and them staying the same – sounding exceptionally bothered about it. But it hadn't meant anything. It never did, right? Harvey hated changes, after all. He was probably just having a hard timing adjusting with the rawness of Mia's growth, the same way she was struggling before too. What she also couldn't crack yet was why he was shutting down so harshly on her. Harvey had been there for her when she needed reassurance about her parenting skills. He'd helped her with processing Mia's evolution as a teenager. And now he wouldn't let her do the same for him. Damn, she wished so badly she could take care of him too. It freaked her out how much she craved for this. For comforting him. As if she was something more than the mother of his child.

Donna closed her eyes forcefully. It didn't matter they weren't a couple. They were a team and this should be enough for him wanting to share with her. But he didn't. He chose to keep his distance. And beyond how much it hurt her, she was worried about him.

Besides, she missed him. She missed his flirting. His lingering looks and his sassy grins. His compliments, his soft winks too. Even when they led to nothing. Even when they were sterile.

This realization frightened her once again. She sighed, detesting the fact of how one single man had the power to mess with her mind so terribly without even trying. She had always been so smart, but when it came to him... she felt so stupid. Actually, she felt even more stupid for lying to herself for so long, pretending she didn't want him. Ever since speaking with Rachel about her supposed right person, then with Harvey about her right fit, altogether with Mia pushing her to face feelings she was terrified of... Donna felt a lightness on finally seeing what her heart had been screaming for years.

This was who she was. It's not the ideal. It's not what she'd planned. But she wanted him. And it's okay. Reconciling with this fact took off a heavy weight from her shoulders. There was no one to blame. It happened, she knew him like no one else and she longed for him. The next step was figuring out what to do with the information. In the meantime, of course her mind would feel uneasiness about his change of behavior and affection distance. Nothing new under the sun.

Perhaps it was because Donna wished he would open up to her more. In a way, she hated how strongly she gripped on the being-a-team thing and ended up looking like the only player in the game. But perhaps, it was also because she couldn't help wondering if he was trying to send her a message with this. After all, she _did_ speak between the lines about her feelings when they had that phone call on Monday. He wasn't dumb. He may have noticed. And he may be trying to tell her he didn't feel the same.

Not knowing was driving her crazy.

"Donna, I'm calling an ambulance," Rachel exhaled, pulling the woman back to reality with brutality.

"What? Why?" Her voice was low and her mouth was dry.

"You've been staring at the table for the last twenty minutes. I bet you blinked only twice," the brunette walked around the table, heading to the sink. They were at the partners' kitchen in the middle of the morning. Donna had gone there for earning a refill of her coffee, and apparently got lost on thoughts in the meantime. She shook her head, breathing loudly. "Are you okay?" Rachel asked, worried.

"Yeah, I'm just thinking," Donna took a sip of coffee from the mug resting in her right hand, surprised by the cold temperature the liquid had as it reached her tongue. The woman closed her eyes with repulsion. She had been standing there long enough to dissipate all the warmth from the drink. And this is something she should be truly worried about.

Before Rachel could formulate another question, Harvey entered the room and, ignoring Rachel's presence, he immediately announced, "Mia asked me about a sleepover at Anna's tonight."

Donna frowned, exchanging a glance with her friend. "Who the hell is Anna?"

"I have no idea. Someone from school."

The redhead tilted her head to the side, not much enthusiastic about having a conversation with Harvey right now, "What did you say?"

Rachel, pretending she wasn't listening, started preparing a cup of coffee to herself.

"I said I would check with you," he shrugged. Seeming very nonchalant about it, his hesitant eyes elicited an irritation inside her.

"I appreciate it, Harvey, but you don't need to run simple decisions by me," he could swear he detected bitterness in her voice, which made him frown.

Donna was worried about him, true, but she was also becoming annoyed. Her massive thoughts obviously only adding fuel to the fire.

"It doesn't look like a simple decision. The only place she slept over before it's your parents' house. Plus, we know nothing about this Anna kid," Harvey pointed out.

"You're right," she opted to drop her defense, glancing down. "Tell her we think it's better if she gets to know this girl better before throwing pajamas parties."

"Okay. She'll probably call you to complain anyway," Harvey arched his brow as Donna pursed her lips.

The redhead watched Harvey approaching to get a cereal bar from the cabinet. A couple of seconds ran through before she noticed the scent, her nose twitching with the unusual smell. "Did you change your cologne?"

It's not her favorite one anymore. She was certain of it instantly, making something arouse inside her. Not a good sensation, though. As if he was propositionally choosing the other perfume just... to send her a sign. After all, he used to wear only her favorite one whenever she was around, according to Mia.

"No, I just have plenty. Why?" He dissembled unaffected about her comment. Rachel observed, frowning lightly.

"Nothing. Just curious."

He didn't question more. Harvey only nodded and turned his gaze at her again just to be safe, "You sure Mia will be fine with our decision?"

Donna had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She left her mug with cold coffee in the sink before striding to the entrance of the kitchen and glancing at the two left behind in the room. "She'll understand. Now excuse me, I have work to do and no man is worth a cold coffee," and just like that, she left.

With a bewildered expression, Harvey looked at Rachel, "What the hell was she talking about?"

"No idea, Harvey. No idea."

...

He had indeed changed his cologne that morning. He propositionally picked the exact one that had nothing to do with Donna's favorite. But not because he was trying to tell her something. Far from that. In fact, he was trying to tell _himself _something.

Since Mia started toying with him about his relationship with Donna, he started being more thoughtful. This week, though, the bomb was heavier to take. It had come to his senses that things were definitely changing for good now. Mia was no longer a child. Life was moving forward. And all of a sudden, Harvey was forced to deal with things that had been avoided for a way too much time. He was being forced to deal with the future.

Harvey never used to think about the future. For no particular reason, he just decided years ago that it wasn't worth it. He would rather live one day at a time. So, he didn't make plans. Of course, it's undeniable he'd always expected to become a partner in a law firm at some point. But he never planned the timing. Never planned the way. Never planned the details or the firm. Harvey didn't plan on seeing his mother ever again. He didn't plan a relationship or marriage or whatever. He didn't plan kids. Yet, when one showed up on his way, he embraced it. It was simpler this way. Just like he never planned to hire a fraud and yet there they were.

Situations would always present themselves to him and he would always deal with them. He didn't need a plan. That's what he'd always thought. Until now.

Things had already changed since parenthood. Harvey had grown in so many ways, Mia has taught him a lot. Still, some things remained buried deep inside his soul. Now, she was becoming her own human being. His baby girl was discovering the world and starting her own independent life. And him... He continued being the same old Harvey. Not preoccupied with planning his life and forgetting his life had been attached to another's for eleven years now. He felt selfish. He felt like his existence was a huge pause in time. He felt trapped, with no perspective. Like if things were gonna be this way forever. And he hated it.

He'd looked at Donna in that last Monday afternoon. He'd looked at her and recognized something. He had caught her flirtatious eyes at him and felt his pulse race in a silly manner. That's when he knew he wasn't frozen in time. He _had _a flash of perspective. He actually longed for something. He was moved by something else besides the random train of life. Harvey fell into realization his life was not only attached to Mia for eleven years now. It was attached to her.

Then, the man realized that deep down he wanted to make plans. He was just too scared of them. I mean, who wouldn't be? His father had a plan, and it seemed to work out perfectly. Their family, his career... However, all fell into pieces at some point. And that might be the seed of fear inside little Harvey. Fear of the future. Fear of happiness.

This was becoming all too much on his head. Because that kid had had her first period. He felt like a fool for drowning himself in such a psychological mess over a natural event of a woman's life. Still, there he was. Processing Mia's growth and very unable to decipher what exactly Donna had made him feel that night. Curious to find out, though. Yet, he knew it was unexplored territory for his limited heart skills. And Harvey Specter abominated vulnerability. That's why he chose to detach himself from her. That's why he lost his touch on their flirting game. That's why he opted for being cold instead of kind most of the time. And that's why he changed his cologne. After all, that man had the maturity of a baby when it came to emotions and he needed showing to his heart who was in charge there.

And fine, Donna had made him find out his nature wished for a future. He accepted that. However, he wouldn't allow it to be with her. It wasn't fair. She was too good for having to deal with his shit. Plus, he would never be her right fit. But wasn't this what she was already doing – and being – for the most part of her life anyway?

"Harvey. You didn't type anything for the last forty minutes," Donna marched inside his office, calling him out on something she had done herself in that exact morning.

He looked at her, still dazed by his frenetic thinking. She looked more beautiful than normal today.

She sighed. If this was any other week, he would tease her with some sort of _oh so you've been watching me for the last forty minutes_ joke. But it wasn't. Today, all she got was his quiet brown eyes scanning her. So she continued, "Louis is waiting for you, remember?"

Harvey groaned lowly. "I told you I don't wanna see Louis today."

Donna pursed her lips, attempting not to lose it yet, "Harvey, you can't go back in your word _again_."

"I can and I will, Donna," he stood up, impatiently. "I told him I would listen but that was before he went to Henry Gerard behind my back."

"Harvey, it's time you stop creating excuses to not respect Louis as a part of this team. He's always done shit like that because that's who he is. Just like you do your shit and we still support you _every single time_, for God's sake," Donna was tired. Tired of this distant, stubborn Harvey. She was fragile enough lately to take one more of his bullshits today.

"He _isn't_ part of the goddamn team, Donna! Didn't you see what he did to get his position?" Harvey raised his tone and that was enough to set her off for good.

Donna rolled her eyes, huffing indignantly, "I did see it, Harvey, but every mature person understands we'll have to get over it for the sake of this firm." Donna took a deep breath, "You know, I don't know why I thought you would man-up enough to let it go too."

"Excuse me?!" He shook his head.

"I thought you'd change after you became name partner, Harvey. That you would start acting for the firm's greater good. But instead, here you are blowing our chance to move on out of pettiness," the woman gesticulated with exasperation. "And if you must know, this is just as bad of what Louis did."

"I can't believe you're saying this to me."

"What? The truth?" She let out an ironic chuckle.

"I give my everything to this firm every single day, Donna. And you of all people is the only one I thought would never question my competence." Harvey elicited the tone, only adding fuel to the fire.

"Really, Harvey? Well, maybe you should start rethinking the way you've been treating the one person you keep saying you value the most." Donna blurted harshly, managing to detect the minor widening his eyes yanked for a brief second.

"What is this about, Donna?" He yelled, clearly caught off of guard.

Donna shook her head, restoring her focus, "This is about you whining about going to Louis goddamn office when he wants to have a serious conversation with you."

It was his turn to scoff at her, perplexion all over his face. "You know, you keep implying you're more mature than me but you are the one who is attacking me only because you're feeling attacked yourself."

"What the fuck?" Donna gasped. "_Attacked?_ Alright, before this gets a thousand times worse and because we have a child together, I'm walking out of here right now. You wanna screw your firm, feel free, I don't care."

Spitting her last words, Donna veered around and left in a heartbeat. Gathering all her strength, she managed to look restful as she reached her desk – definitely not wanting to make a scene in front of their colleagues. The redhead felt proud of her acting skills, even if inside her all she could feel was a giant flame burning from the pitch of her stomach until up to her throat. She exhaled three times, trying to soothe down the anger consuming her lungs in a way only Harvey could trigger.

This man had the ability to piss her off like anyone else, but today... It hurt. It hurt her pride and her feelings. She couldn't believe she was still in love with this man. It's frustrating. Frustrating how he always managed to find a way to push her away right when things seemed to be progressing between them. And for that, Donna was determined to not direct one single word at the man until he decided to make this right and apologize to her.

...

"You're not paying attention to anything I'm saying, are you?" Mike rolled his eyes, having to repeat himself for the fourth time during lunch. "What's eating you, anyway?"

"Nothing important," Harvey lost no time attempting to detach himself from an advice session with Mike, feigning indifference and taking a bite of his burger casually.

"It's important if it's getting your head in the clouds that much," the youngest pressed. After a few moments analyzing the man, he tried again, "Is it Mia?"

"No, Mia is fine," the man shook his head. "Just come back filling me in about the Knicks game already."

"It wasn't about the Knicks game, it was about the Yankees game. And I wasn't filling you in, I was saying I've got tickets for tomorrow night," Mike crossed his arms, raising one eyebrow. Harvey spotted a ghost of a chuckle hiding on his expression, "Geez, Harvey, you're daydreaming like a teen in love."

The man fired the kid with a glare, which for he pursed his lips in response.

"Did I touch a nerve?" He mocked, nonchalant about Harvey's sullen face.

"So, you were saying?" He forced themselves back to the subject again. Mike rolled his eyes, finally surrendering.

"Well, a client gave me three tickets. I was going to ask you if Rachel and I could take Mia to the game with us since she's a huge fan, but... Turns out we won't make it. Rachel's parents had already some sort of dinner party with the rest of her family scheduled," he bit his lips.

"Oh, it's a shame. She would have loved it," Harvey proceeded to eat, totally not following Mike's thoughts.

"Yeah, that's why I'm giving the tickets to you. You and Donna can take her instead."

"Oh." He paused, then closed his eyes for an instant, "Not sure it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

Harvey needed to think fast.

"Because... Uh, Donna is very busy lately and–"

"No, hold on, you're lying. Something happened with you and Donna and that's why you are acting so weird," Mike guessed right, Harvey's stammering having handed it away.

"It's none of your business, Mike," Harvey turned defensive. Typical.

"Alright, don't tell me then. But since I know you and I know you probably screwed up, you should think of this as an opportunity to apologize," he proposed, "So take her or not. It's your call. But please, at least take Mia. It's not her fault her parents are stupid and she would be very thrilled about this game."

Placing the three tickets on Harvey's side of the table, Mike smiled softly. The oldest sighed, staring at the tickets and cursing himself for putting his family in this position. He knew he would regret it if he didn't invite Donna, anyway. As much as he hated the idea and the process of making it happen, he knew what he needed to do.

...

She had avoided him the entire day. He noticed and did strictly the same. The only communication between the two remaining to what was absolutely necessary – work stuff and nothing beyond. Minimum eye contact. Harvey could sense her irritation echoing through his office every time she stepped in. And as much as he was also upset at her, the taste of her bitterness was definitely a too much worse feeling.

That's why he placed the tickets on her desk at the end of the day, while she was taking a toilet break. He watched discreetly from his desk as she strolled back to her chair and found his present waiting for her.

When Harvey glimpsed her motion of grabbing the tickets and starting to stride towards the glass door, he pretended to have his attention to somewhere else.

"Is _this_ your way of apologizing? Really?" She rolled his eyes, approaching his desk and holding the tickets in the air.

Annoyed by her outraged tone, Harvey exhaled and glanced up at her, "As far as I'm concerned, I am not the only one who needs to apologize."

"Jesus. You'll never change." Donna was whirling around to get out of there as fast as she could when he came to his senses.

"Donna, wait," standing up, he made her stop walking. She wanted to listen, truly. Yet, she didn't turn to face him because she couldn't handle feeling exposed again. "Mike gave those to me. He said we should take Mia. I know you're mad, but I thought we could do this for her."

"Oh, so now you're trying to use our daughter to get yourself out of this?" She spent the small piece of self-control remaining then, finally turning around to him.

"Goddammit, Donna, I'm not trying anything," he groaned with frustration. "Listen, we don't have to talk if you don't want to. But Mia has nothing to do with this and I am taking her to this game whether you join us or not. It's your call, but you know she would love to have you there. Now please excuse me, 'cause I am done for the day." Harvey closed his laptop with more brutality than he intended to, letting out a breath and gathering his stuff. Everything in order to get out of that place as soon as possible.

...

"I look very cute with this cap," Mia adjusted the hat on her head while watching herself in the mirror. Harvey chuckled at her modesty as he finished putting on his shoes.

Mia always invaded his room to check herself in his mirror before they went out somewhere. It's not like she didn't have a mirror in her own bedroom, she just thinks her father's was bigger.

"You look cute anyway," he smiled at the kid and she veered to face him.

The girl had two beautiful braids resting on each side of her shoulders, and her dark blue loose shirt had an _I'm a Yankees girl_ stamped. Harvey wasn't sure of when his daughter had learned how to do that with her hair on her own. Memories of his failed attempts to do it when she was little existing pretty alive on his mind. He chuckled at the thought.

Mike was right. Mia was overly excited about this game, what in a way resulted in him being contaminated with excitement too. Even when he still didn't know if Donna was joining them or not.

"C'mon, we'll get late this way!" Mia paced towards him, grabbing his arms and trying to pull the man up from the mattress. Her effort leading to nothing, she gave up on the task very quickly.

"Before we leave, can you text your mom asking if she's coming with us?" Harvey scratched his head, and Mia frowned in response.

"Oh, I forgot to say. She told me half an hour ago she was meeting us there," the redhead kid clarified, not missing the strangeness of the situation.

"Oh, good. Then I'll tell Ray we're coming down," he stood up, reaching for his dresser and grabbing his wallet and keys.

Mia remained in place, tilting her head to the side as she tried to read the man, "What's going on between the two of you?"

"What do you mean?" He side-glanced the girl, acting all innocent and moving to the living room in a hurry. The child followed him.

"Well, you and mommy never needed me to be your carrier-pigeon and deliver your messages for each other," she shrugged.

"Oh, it's just a miscommunication issue, nothing is going on," Harvey wasn't inclined to share with his daughter about his fight with Donna. Sure, she would find out soon or later, especially after seeing the two not interacting with each other in the arena. But he definitely wasn't pleased to explain everything to her like she would make him do now.

Mia rolled her eyes, "Is that why she was asking me weird things about you this week?"

"She did what?" He shook his head.

"She kept asking me if you were okay, apparently you were acting all weird around her," Mia crossed her arms, her know-it-all face creeping in.

"Oh. I didn't know that," the man sighed, looking at the floor.

"Know what? That she cared?" The girl was having a hard time understanding her father's mind today. "Men are so stupid."

"Alright, Mia, you want the truth?" The father grabbed her hands carefully, "Donna and I argued yesterday, work stuff related. But we'll be fine, adults argue and that's normal."

"Well, it's not normal if you're not even speaking to each other," she let out an ironical chuckle.

"Who said we aren't?"

"The look on your face when you asked me to ask her if she was coming said it," she bit her lips, stubbornly, "God you're two children, I can't believe it."

"Enough, smartypants. We won't ruin your night with our problems. Shall we focus on the game?" He walked towards the front door before Mia could make further questions, unlocking and opening it.

"You'll ruin it anyway if guys don't solve this up soon," she muttered to herself, sighing disappointed and deciding to do what he was saying. The daughter and father left the building, then, heading together to the stadium.

Mia felt a press on her chest in the entire way, nervous about the supposed argument her parents had and the impact it could have on their relationship. Harvey, on the other hand, was feeling relief. Relief because Donna had accepted the invitation. Relief because even still being furious, she also didn't want to leave things the way they were. And that was enough to steady his heart. At least, for now.

...

"Mom!" Mia jumped on Donna's arms as soon as she spotted her in the middle of the crowd, right outside the stadium – the place where people buy snacks and drinks.

Harvey came right behind Mia, instantly mesmerized to the similarity between the two girls while they hugged. Donna was wearing a Yankees T-shirt, leggings and black boots. She also had her cap matching with the kid's, they had bought them together for those types of occasions. Harvey kept his hands inside his pockets until the two let go from each other and looked at him.

Donna held her breath. She was anxious.

"Donna," he nodded.

She only gave him a polite, half-smile. Mia already hated this exchange.

"How are you, little mermaid?" She grabbed the girl's hands. "Look at these braids! Have you done it yourself?"

"Yeah, I've been practicing," the child hopped in place.

Donna had to fight an impulse to mock with Harvey's lack of ability to make hairstyles. She looked at him and bit her lips with a hint of strength. It felt awful to not be exactly allowed to joke with him right now.

"I'll get the popcorn," Harvey announced, avoiding the creepy silence to rise, "what will you have to drink?"

"I'll have a coke," Mia smiled tenderly.

"I won't drink anything," Donna replied quietly.

"Are you sure?" He frowned, but she nodded anyway. "Alright, I'll meet you in our seats."

"Oh, God, this is the best day of the year," Mia looked like she would explode with excitement, despite the tension between her parents. She had realized she would have to be the one to hold the mood up.

"It's still February," Harvey chuckled.

"That's why it's the best day of the year. I bet some other day will beat this record soon," she winked purposefully, and Donna snickered genuinely for the first time.

"Let's go sit, Mia," then, the two girls started heading to the bleachers while Harvey went for their food.

It didn't take long for them to find their three seats. Glancing at Mia, Donna could tell the girl wanted to say something, but was having a hard time organizing her thoughts. The mother smiled to herself, patiently giving her time to process as she watched the players warming up.

A few instants later, there it was, "I can't understand why you came if you are mad at daddy."

Donna sure wasn't expecting that, needing a few seconds to elaborate an answer, "Well, because of you." Turned out it was simple to explain, "We know how much of a baseball fan you are and I won't ever let a fight come between the three of us."

Mia smiled at the reassurance. She'd said _the three of them_. Not the two. That should mean something, right?

"But mom, I don't want this to be uncomfortable for you," she quickly changed for a worried look, though. The mother chuckled, pleased with Mia's empathy. Donna knew she cared, but it would never not be cute to see it.

"I promise it won't be, baby girl," taking her hands together and bringing them up, Donna kissed her girl's knuckles.

Not much time later, the first inning started and there was no sign of Harvey around. Yankees began as the batting team, not a usual call – but for Mia's thrill. The girl locked her gaze on the field, the way she bit her lips revealing her amusement. Meanwhile, Donna kept sneaking glances to the row behind her, just to check if he was already coming or not. One full run was completed in the game, and nothing of Harvey yet. She was beginning to get worried, but she was still mad at him, this realization resulting in her mad at herself too.

Trying to keep it cool, Donna compelled an effort to be more attentive to Mia's comments during the launches. She managed to pursue a conversation with the kid when a voice gladly startled them two.

"What did I miss?" Harvey sat down, handing Mia her bucket of popcorn and coke, and then handing Donna a beer.

The frown on her face as she grabbed the plastic cup not missed by Harvey.

"Thanks, daddy," Mia never let her eyes off of the field, though.

"I said I didn't want it," Donna said.

"Well, I brought you anyway," shrugging, Harvey threw an amount of popcorn inside his mouth. "Sorry it took me so long. The line was endless."

"Well, you missed Gary Sanchez being AWESOME!" The little redhead gripped his arm with eagerness.

"Already?! Oh I can't believe it," and easily as that, Harvey engaged a chattering with Mia as she filled him in.

Donna remained quiet, listening to their conversation and cautious for not saying anything. She didn't want to surrender to him. Not this time. That's why she also didn't drink her beer and stayed holding the intact plastic cup for several minutes.

Harvey glimpsed at her hands a couple of times to see the drink, frustrated by her stubbornness. He was trying to be nice, why couldn't she cooperate?

The tension was already hanging in the air again. Mia, though, was completely oblivious to it, so Harvey made an effort to not distract himself from his conversation with the girl. Donna instead, knowing he was peering at her sight every now and then, fixed her eyes on the game with determination. Being so immersed in thoughts, she didn't even notice when Yankees completed another run and the better part of the crowd cheered, including the two beside her.

"Mom! Have you seen this?" Mia screamed as she took her mother's arms and shook them.

"Uh, of course, it was impressive," she stated. Mia stopped. She wasn't stupid to fall for that.

Aware of what that was about but pretending to be clueless, the little girl turned to Harvey with a purposeful grin, "Tell her what happened, dad!"

Widening his eyes, Harvey stifled, all his euphoria fading. Looking at Donna and meeting her curious eyes, he felt stuck, "Uhm, Aaron Judge just made a massive hit, no big deal."

"Yes big deal, we're two points ahead!" The eleven-year-old corrected.

Donna glanced at the field, frowning at the scene happening down there.

"Well, apparently he's enjoying his fame," she hummed, rolling her eyes with mockery. The guy was writing his name on a ball and then throwing it to the crowd, "Men. Always begging to be on the spotlights."

The comment triggered something in Harvey, for what he pursed his lips in annoyance. Holding his hands together and still watching the dynamics on the field, he turned defensive, "You can't blame him. He did an amazing move, it's not a crime to feel proud of yourself."

"It is a crime if you start putting yourself above the podium and smash the others around you on the process," she shrugged, also not daring to dart at him. Mia frowned at the bitter responses, and for a moment she thought she'd lost a part of the conversation.

Harvey took a deep breath, letting out an indignant chuckle, "Aaron Judge never did that. You would know if you were actually watching the goddamn game."

Abruptly tilting her head to him, then, Donna activated her own defensive mode, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Okay, that's enough," Mia stopped them. Harvey shook his head, disappointed at their own behavior. "You sound like two babies. Look, the teams are changing positions."

Now, a season of silence installed itself between the three of them. Mia was trying hard to be fully entertained with the game and forget about the two around her, while they were struggling to cool down their own nerves in order to enjoy this evening at least a bit.

Suddenly, yet, this all night felt like a terrible idea to Donna. She could be anywhere else on the planet but there she was, ruining her daughter's fun and exposing herself to Harvey's ability to piss her off.

They stayed like that for almost three innings, and as awkward as it felt, the redhead was decided this would be the best they get for now. Truth is she hated the irritation she was feeling for Harvey. Deep down, she knew it wasn't only about his rudeness the other day, but also associated with her feelings for him. It was anger mixed with frustration and she just couldn't access a way out of it. Despite loving Harvey the way he was, sometimes it was impossible to not wish for him to man-up a bit and make a real apology when necessary.

Then, she glanced down. The untouched beer resting on the floor in front of her. Sighing, she suddenly felt stupid. He _had_ tried. Within a bunch of flaws, maybe, but he always did. And she recognized that.

Before she could do something, though, apparently the opposing team completed a full run and the guy on Donna's left stood up to scream in excitement. With the sudden movement, the man spilled half of his beer on Donna's leggings, startling her as a fallout.

"Oh, shit," she blurted, lifting her arms and contemplating the wetness on her knees.

Mia and Harvey looked at her with surprise, the girl promptly standing up to help her with napkins. Harvey hesitated for a brief second before shaking his head and making an impulsive motion.

"Hey, dude," he called loudly, in an attempt to beat all the noises from the surroundings. The guy turned to face him as Donna darted up to see what the hell he was doing. "Pay attention to people around you, man, this wasn't nice," Harvey continued, indicating Donna with his head. The guy dropped his eyes to where she was sitting with Mia, catching up to what he had just done.

"Shit, sorry ma'am, I'll be more careful," the man said embarrassedly, twisting himself back to his group afterwards.

Donna blinked twice, in awe. Fine. It was indeed a simple gesture. But Harvey standing up for her would always be her weak spot, especially after they'd been assholes with each other all night long. When the redhead leaned up, their eyes met and locked for a short second, being interrupted only by the little voice making itself noticed between them.

"Geez, I think it's the first time ever I'm seeing daddy calling someone _dude_."

"Hey, I can be cool sometimes," he smiled at Mia while she giggled with spontaneity. Donna bit her lips, allowing a small smile to achieve her expression.

Harvey saw it, and the relief he felt inside of him was one of the biggest highlights of the evening. When they were all seated again, his arm reached for hers behind Mia's back.

"You need more napkins?" He suggested after she looked at him.

"It's fine, Harvey, thanks," Donna gave him a sided-toothless smile. "I guess the smell of beer it's not leaving me anyway," she grimaced.

Mia, listening to the exchange discreetly, closed her eyes and suppressed a grin. Silently, she prayed for this fight to be over soon.

"Guys, look, Cole is gonna pitch," she called for their attention in order to avoid the awkwardness that usually came after the two idiots interacted with hesitance. Baby steps, right?

Donna crossed her legs, getting a little tired of the game. At least, she amazed by Mia's impressive engagement with that team. She knew all the player's names, all their occupations and maybe even their stats. Her eyes would sparkle every time she focused them on the field, and that single detail was totally worth all of this.

The next inning passed with little interaction between the three. At some point, though, as the Yankees were a few points ahead, Donna decided it was her time to make a move. Taking the untouched beer he'd bought her earlier, she lifted it to her lips and took a great sip. It wasn't as cold as it should be anymore, but it didn't matter.

Harvey, noticing the movement in a tail of an eye, studied her with curiosity. Soon enough, they were both aware they'd been eyeing each other, that's when two let out a soft chuckle. They were ridiculous. They knew it.

When halftime arrived, Donna excused herself from the bleachers to go to the toilet. Taking advantage of the time alone with her father, Mia bit her lips and stared at him with enthusiasm.

"What is it, Chunky Monkey?" He shook his head, already recognizing what she wanted to say.

"You're almost there!" Clasping her hands together, Mia swung herself on her seat.

"Don't get your expectations up," he pressed his lips together, "Your mother and I are not that simple."

"Uh-duh, tell me something I don't know," the little redhead rolled her eyes. "Dad, you're best friends. She's mad, you're mad, but you love each other. You'll have to handle this some time."

"I know."

"And maybe..." She started, the suggestive tone evident, "you can finally figure out the exact way you love her."

He frowned, "What are you saying?"

"Well, remember when I asked you how you love mommy?" She leaned her head to the side, "I think you were mistaken with your answer. I think the reason you're acting all weird with her lately is that you're discovering that maybe... you love her in one very specific way you're too afraid to admit."

Harvey crossed his arms.

"Well, I think you create too many theories for an eleven-year-old. Weren't you supposed to be studying in your free time? How're your English grades?" Harvey teased her, bringing her questions to backfire.

Mia huffed, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms too, "For your information, I'm a superwoman. I can do both things."

"I believe you can," he laughed, earning a grin from his child too.

The two spotted Donna approaching themselves again, that's why they changed the subject. When she placed herself back on the seat, the woman offered them the chocolate balls she had just bought.

Of course Mia was the first one to take it, her happiness always igniting her impulsivity. After that, Donna handed the bucket for Harvey. Smiling at her, he took the chocolate, but not without propositionally touching his fingers with hers in the process. Donna slightly gulped at the movement, her gaze dropping from his. She leaned back on the seat, despising how much responsive her body was for his touch.

"Kissing cam!" Mia jumped from her seat, startling the two immersed in their new banter. Donna looked up, seeing couples having a PDA session as she mentally thanked the universe for her daughter to be sitting between her and Harvey. She bet Harvey was probably thinking the same.

When Mia turned to her, eyes full of expectation, it was like she could read her thoughts immediately. "Don't even consider it, smartypants," Donna used a silly voice to break the tension.

"I didn't even say anything!" She protested.

"You didn't have to," the mother giggled, shaking her head. Harvey couldn't hide his laugh either, Mia was too obvious sometimes.

Making a face, Mia shrugged and changed her attention to the scenes in front of them. Since they had to wait a few more minutes for the next inning and Donna and Harvey didn't have many options, they did the same. The three started watching all those kisses and, if they were good, they would even cheer with the rest of the crowd too.

Watching the kissing cam shortly became not the smartest idea to Donna, though. Her mind couldn't stop thinking in case it was she and Harvey there, and her heart began craving for this to happen somehow. She decided to secretly sneak a glance at him and found out he was looking at her too and _shit_.

This was awkward. It was getting hot in there, wasn't it?

Letting out a breath, she took another sip of beer and soothed her senses. Okay, the rest of the game would start soon. She could handle it.

The rest of the innings ran off with more lightness between the three of them than the first half of the game. Mia's joy being the bond between them. Donna and Harvey finally had some little exchanges, some teasing lines even, even if still nothing like their normal state – they didn't forget about that fight and their pride after all. Regardless, when the game finished and Yankees won, Mia did her best celebration and ended up asking for Donna to come home with them to have a dessert.

The next thing she knew, Donna was in the car with the two, heading to Harvey's apartment. The redhead stayed the entire way fidgeting with her legs, nervousness earning the better of her. The remaining smell of beer on her leggings serving as a reminder of Harvey's kindness with her tonight. She was unsettled. There was still tension in the air. Not the bad tension from before, though.

She wasn't pissed anymore. And he didn't seem to be either. It didn't mean they shouldn't talk about what happened, it just... There was just something else coming between. A sexual tension, maybe? She couldn't name it, but she sure could agree it was something stronger than her previous anger. Kiss cam fault.

Not to their surprise, Mia ended up falling asleep on the backseat before they even reached the building. Before leaving for her own place, Donna decided to help Harvey to get their girl up without waking her.

A few minutes later, the two were placing Mia on her bed and kissing her goodnight. Harvey left to make Donna a cup of tea and she stayed in the room, undoing Mia's braids and changing her into her unicorn pajamas. Finally, the mother was finished, getting up and turning the lights off. Donna heard Mia stretching on the bed before she left the room, and she hoped the girl wouldn't wake up now that they'd managed to bring her up intact.

Taking a few hesitant steps back in the living room, she observed Harvey as he finished her tea and walked in her direction.

"Here," the man handed her the mug. Taking it with a tender smile, Donna took a sip of it and closed her eyes with pleasure. "I-I wanted to thank you for coming tonight."

She opened her eyes at his statement, tightening the grip on the mug. The dimly lit atmosphere mixed with his low tone to avoid waking up their girl was giving her chills. Sighing, she opted for answering with humor, "I only did so I could wear matching hats with my daughter."

Harvey chuckled, shaking his head. She was still wearing her cap, after all.

"Seriously, Donna. It was nice."

"It was," she continued sipping her tea, finishing it in a hurry. She was kinda afraid of spending more time there. The tension making her wanting to run away, go home and sleep. "I think I should go," Donna sighed, handing him the empty mug back. "Thanks, Harvey."

He had been trying to find the words to say something, to make an honest apology. Now there was no more time to waste, he wouldn't forgive himself if she left and he didn't solve things up tonight. Thinking fast on a plan, Harvey placed the mug on the counter and took a step ahead to his front door. "I'll walk you out," he mumbled sheepishly.

She thought he would have said something by now. Apparently, she was wrong again. Feeling the bitter taste of disappointment growing as they reached the entrance, Donna looked deeply at his eyes, exhaled and opened the door. She didn't have time to step out, though, because that's when she heard it.

"I'm sorry, Donna," he sighed.

Three seconds passed and she was still with her back turned to his face. He caught the way she tightened her grip on the doorknob before she answered, "For what?"

"For being an idiot."

Suppressing a smile, she finally turned to face him, not stopping to use the door as support. "This is no news for anybody. You'll have to be more specific."

"Well, I'm sorry for being a dick with you the entire week," he took a small step forward, stunning her, "_and_ for tossing it against you when we were arguing."

"I'm sorry too, Harvey," she met his gaze, the deep silence evolving them only adding more weight to this conversation. He raised one eyebrow, and the soft teasing curl on his lips telling her he wanted to hear more. "For calling you immature and for implying you didn't deserve to be in your position at the firm."

Harvey exhaled, turning more serious. "It's okay," he paused, stumbling before adding, "but being honest... You really think I'm not ready for my position?"

She detected sadness in his eyes. The uncertainty in his voice also making her heart shatter.

"Of course not, Harvey," she whispered, also closing a bit of the distance. "You have flaws, but who doesn't? There's no one I trust more for being managing partner than you."

Watching his worry invade every single inch of his features, Donna raised one hand to caress his cheek. The distance between them suddenly very small for a pair of friends.

"Your opinion really matters the most for me," he murmured as he closed his eyes.

For a few seconds, there were just silence and soft caresses.

Donna chuckled after a while, "You need to stop telling me this."

"Why?" He opened them again, meeting her unsteady breathing.

She wasn't about to tell him that it was because it made her feel _things_. Nervously then, Donna wet her lips, sensing the pitch of her stomach closing in a knot. He was too close. His scent too overwhelming. Her fingers running through his skin making her long for more. The sexual tension pretty much clearer now, hotness raising from between her legs. Little did she know she was driving him crazy too.

"Well," she swallowed, "Louis could overhear it and get jealous," shrugging, she couldn't help the need she felt for looking at his lips.

"In that case," Harvey looked at her lips too. The memories of all of those couples kissing in a kiss cam making him blind with desire. "I think we should keep it as a secret then," Harvey whispered, taking one more little step ahead.

"I think it's an incredible idea," Donna kept the low tone.

Immobile, shifting glances from lips to eyes and with unsteady breathing, Harvey and Donna stayed still for what felt like an eternity. She wasn't sure, but it felt like he started leaning forward at some point, very slowly. Donna thought her heart would stop. Her hold on the doorknob so strong her fingers were turning yellow from lack of circulation.

None of them closed their eyes, though. None of them made the final move. Both too much scared for surrendering entirely.

Harvey swallowed, wetting his lips and thinking _screw it_. Determined, he was gonna do it. He really was. But it all happened in a matter of a millisecond and, before he could move, a disastrous sound coming for the kitchen made the two jump apart in impulse. A very specific scream invaded their ears and the pair spotted the little unicorn curled on the ground.

Donna was the first to run towards the girl, concern making her forget everything happening before, as Harvey remained paralyzed, not sure of what to do.

"Mia, what happened?!" She kneeled beside her daughter as she continued screaming in pain. Donna saw the high kitchen stool fallen on the ground next to her, already understanding the situation. Mia had been probably kneeling on the stool, eavesdropping them, when she lost her balance.

Mia clumsy took of her hair from her face. Eyes filled with tears, she said, "I think I broke my arm."

…

**So… just a remark, I know NOTHING about baseball, so forgive me if something isn't accurate here, I had to make a big research to write this but I probably wrote something wrong anyway.**

**THERE'S STILL A LOT TO HAPPEN! tell me your thoughts, it takes 30 seconds 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Quarantine made me come back here sooner than I thought this time! Virtual classes are still getting me, though. Well, I'm really happy to read your reviews, it means so much for every writer!**

**I hope you enjoy this one.**

**...**

"It's itchy."

"You've said that fifteen minutes ago," Donna glanced down at her.

"It's worse now."

Sighing, the mother continued running her fingers through Mia's red hair.

"Do you want me to blow cold air inside of it again?"

Mia whined, closing her eyes, "No, I just want to take it _off_. This is humiliating."

Donna giggled at her exaggeration, contemplating the cast wrapping the girl's right forearm, "Next time think twice before eavesdropping your father and me."

The eleven-year-old grimaced, hiding her face. Mia was laying on the couch, head resting on Donna's lap while Property Brothers was running on the TV in front of them.

"Definitely a disaster," she moaned.

"Well, it could have been worse," Donna pursed her lips, losing her gaze in a random spot of the living room. "If you hadn't interrupted, then we would've had a disaster."

"Don't say that!" The girl sat up in one move, not pleased with her mother's pessimism. Donna, on the other hand, despised every time the situation from that night was mentioned. Regret was a weak word to describe how she was feeling about the episode.

"It's the truth, Mia. We weren't thinking straight. It would've been a mistake."

"He still didn't say anything about it yet?" She pouted, crossing her legs as Donna placed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"Nope. And he won't do it, believe me," she stated with an amused sigh, attempting to sound like she didn't care when deep down she felt awful about their incident being ignored by Harvey for days now. It was so typical of him, so predictable, but maybe that's why Donna had hoped he would portray differently this time. Apparently, her stupid feelings were deceiving her mind, affecting her ability to read him and making her feel crazy and dumb all at once.

"But it's been a week already," Mia cried, huffing at her father's behavior.

Donna gulped before taking the girl's hands, "I know. But that's who he is, baby girl." Dragging the child to rest on her chest, she was determined to change the subject, "now shall we pay attention to Drew and Jonathan? This house is just perfect."

Mia glanced at the TV, smiling sadly at the view of that house. "I wish we could live in a place like that."

The oldest redhead chuckled softly but didn't respond. The truth was she wished too. But houses like that... It just didn't seem like the right fit for them. Not like that. Not yet.

Donna resumed her strokes on Mia's hair. She tried fixating her mind on the show too, but lately it had been almost impossible to control her thoughts. They would unintentionally flicker to the night of a week ago, when she and Harvey had been inches from crossing a very significant line and how strongly her heart had pounded... until all those images started to be replaced by hospital scenes and reality rudely sank in.

...

_7 days ago_

Harvey hated waiting rooms. Especially when they were pretty empty, leaving him and Donna almost alone in the place at 1 a.m. And the icing on the cake, after having almost kissed each other. Alone together after a wave of dopamine followed by a wave of sexual frustration had just reached them on the heads.

No one brought it up. There was also no space for awkward. The two had focused on getting Mia to the nearest Urgent Care, and as soon as they got there she was taken for some X-rays. Harvey hurried to fill the paperwork with Mia's information while Donna tried to explain to the doctor what had happened. When all the dust had settled, all they had to do was wait for Mia to finish her exam.

So, there was silence.

And finally the awkward arrived too.

Harvey was almost entertained by the sway of her legs as they were sitting on those cushioned chairs. He needed to fixate his gaze onto something and that had been the first thing to catch his attention. After minutes observing the repeated movement, his hand started tapping on the armchair in the same rhythm without him even realizing it.

To his own surprise, he wasn't thinking. He wasn't thinking about the previous events. He wasn't blaming himself or cursing himself or regretting his actions. He was... processing. He was stunned. Mesmerized. And skeptical too. Did it really happen or he imagined it?

I felt surreal. They were so close. So immersed in whatever force pushing them together that none of them heard Mia's steps approaching. Harvey couldn't tell for sure what probable consequences they'd have to face now in case the kiss had actually happened. Well, it didn't. But somehow the messy aftermath was still there, hanging above their heads. Like it didn't matter they couldn't properly finish the act, the purpose was already causing enough damage itself.

The sight of consequences gave him nausea. He didn't want to fight with her again. But Harvey knew she'd need answers, answers which he wasn't ready to give simply because he didn't have them yet. Because he was still _there_. Still half-stuck on his hallway. Still living in that scene in slow motion, half desperate to close that distance and half desperate to run away.

That's why he assumed now wasn't the time to bring it up.

"So," Harvey cleared his throat as her breath got caught in her lungs. "It's cold in here, isn't it?"

The loud sigh Donna gave him suggested she was rather glad or disappointed he didn't say anything about their situation.

"Uh, yeah," she sounded flustered. As much as she was anxious to understand what the hell had happened tonight, Donna knew he needed time. And maybe, she needed it too. Nonetheless, their _moment _was still the reason they were at Urgent Care in the middle of the night and it sucked. None of this would be happening if she had gone home right after that stupid game ended. "Do you think Mia is gonna be fine?"

"If it's really broken, they'll immobilize it and give her painkillers. It sucks, but it's not serious," Harvey reassured with a coy smile.

"Well, when I was five I needed surgery when I broke my arm," the woman pointed out, shuddering at the memory.

Harvey frowned. "Jeez, what did you do?"

"Nothing," she chuckled, looking down, "the way I fell from my bike not only fractured my bone but also misplaced it. The surgery was for putting it back in place before wearing a cast."

"Shit, it must have hurt like hell."

"It did," Donna pursed her lips.

Okay, that was easy. He almost couldn't detect the tension anymore. They could just pretend nothing had ever happened. Right?

No, that was probably a bad idea.

"I never broke anything," Harvey prevented the conversation to fade, moving his eyes to stare at his feet.

"Really?"

He chuckled lowly as memories appeared on his mind, "My... mother used to say I was jealous of Marcus when he broke his wrist. You know, because he started to get all the attention and all." He paused, "She used to say I've even tried to break my own wrist too but I swear I don't remember this."

Lifting his gaze to meet Donna's, the man found her smiling at the image. Mentioning his mother was a rare occasion for Harvey and she was particularly fond of those times. Even knowing she should be careful with her words when her name came up.

"What did I say earlier about men always wanting to be on the spotlights?" She teased, relieving the uneasiness that emerged from him.

"That was mean," he smiled, captivated by her soft hazel glance. Something was different about it right now.

"I've already apologized," Donna recalled, biting her lips and holding his stare. Her voice also had a hint of something else he still couldn't quite name. But it was kind. It was comforting.

A couple of seconds ran by and they didn't move. Both looking at each other, calmly listening to their breathing. Harvey even considered grabbing her hand. Tonight had been a rollercoaster to all of them and at this very moment... They were finding peace on each other.

Not wanting to miss his chance this time around, Harvey laid his hand above the back of her's on the armchair between them. He clutched her fingers lightly, seeing her draw a one-sided smile and rub his palm with her thumb.

"Ms. Paulsen?" The doctor's voice startled the two, who darted ahead immediately.

"Yes?" Donna stood up, losing his touch. Harvey followed her, doing the same. The doctor approached them and smiled kindly.

"Mia is great. We medicated her and she isn't in pain anymore. She indeed fractured her forearm but it wasn't anything critical. The nurse is finishing to apply the cast and Mia will have to wear it for five weeks."

"That's good. Thank you, doctor Mills," Harvey ran his hand through his hair, tiredly.

"Can we see her?" Donna pursed her lips.

"Actually, she asked to see both of you separately. So, Ms. Paulsen can go and meanwhile I can give Mr. Specter the instructions for taking a good care of her arm, is that alright?"

Harvey and Donna exchanged a look, shrugging in the end.

"Okay."

The receptionist guided Donna to the orthopedic room, where Mia and a young nurse were chatting together. As soon as the mother appeared on the door, the girl's eyes sparkled and she almost took off running towards the woman, averted only by the lady currently holding her arm.

"Hey, baby girl," Donna came into the room cautiously.

"Mom, I am so so sorry," Mia clamored, and that's when the redhead saw the tears popping in the girl's eyes.

"Hey, hey, look at me, there's no need to cry," she approached Mia in a hurry, sitting right next to her. "And sorry about what, honey?" Donna reached for Mia's hair, brushing it softly with her fingers.

"What do you mean about what? Daddy was going to kiss you and I ruined it," the girl dished, almost cursing herself. She'd spent weeks working on that mission and had been the one to blow it up. "And now we're here in this horrible place in the middle of the night."

A few tears eventually dropped, and the nurse kept doing her job despite Mia deliberately not stopping to move.

"Your father wasn't going to kiss me, Mia." Donna sensed the tension on her own shoulders. She knew her statement wasn't true. She just needed her daughter to not feel guilty about that.

"I'm not stupid, mom, I know what was happening," the child snapped, articulating with her free hand.

Donna exhaled, glancing around. Eyeing the cast almost finished to be installed, the woman decided to change the course of that conversation, "Is it still hurting?"

"You're deflecting from the matter, mom! This only proves you agree with me," she whimpered as Donna glimpsed to the nurse's expression. "And there's no need to feel embarrassed. I told the entire story to nurse Eleanor. She knows what happened."

Donna turned to Eleanor, eyes wide and jaw down.

"She really did, you know," Eleanor gave her a shy smile, shaking her head.

"Oh, I bet she did," Donna closed her eyes for a couple of seconds. "Alright. He may have or may have not kissed me. I can't expect any outcome from your dad, Mia. And so what? If you fell and we're here now, it's because that's the way it was supposed to be. You didn't ruin anything. Especially for me. The only thing I can feel right now is a relief that you're okay."

Sniffling the remaining of her crisis away, her hazel eyes met with the identical ones from her mother.

"I still feel terrible, mom. I know you wanted that so much," she shook her head.

Smiling, Donna grabbed her chin and admired Mia's face. Then, she reached up to kiss the tip of her nose.

"You know what I really want? I want it to be real, way more than for it to happen. It can still be real without actually happening, you know?" Raising her eyebrows, Donna was so sincere in her words that Mia was finally becoming convinced. Sighing, she grabbed her hand, "and there's more. _If_ it was real in his heart, then at some point it's gonna happen for real too. It's a win-win either way."

"I like win-win's."

"You're a Specter. Of course you do." Donna rolled her eyes, making an effort to stand up. When she heard Mia's giggle, she allowed herself to smile too.

"We're almost done here, sweetheart," Eleanor filled in the silence, calling the girl's attention to the cast.

"Thank God, I'm eager to find my bed," Mia made a face, and both women let out a laugh.

"Let me remind you I had already put you to sleep before you decided to sneak around the apartment and break your arm," her mom teased.

"Your mom seems to be a very clever person, Mia," the nurse chuckled again, and suddenly the room was restored with a casual light mood, exactly the way Donna and Mia needed right now.

A fourth figure joined them instants later, his sight leaning over the door leaf as he contemplated the scene. It didn't take long for all the three to recognize his presence, the child smiling warmly at him.

"Come in, daddy," Mia suggested.

"Ready to leave?" He stepped inside, crossing his arms.

"Not yet. About that, I was thinking mommy should stay with us tonight. It's too late for her to go home by herself."

Donna glared at the girl, as she shrugged innocently. Harvey stumbled a little before responding, "Well, we're giving her a ride. Ray is gonna drop her there safely on our way home, smartypants."

Mia rolled her eyes, disappointed.

"You'll be with me in two days. Just hang on firmly in there and take a good care of your father until then," with a teasing tone, she glimpsed at Harvey and saw the amusement on his expression.

"Hey, for the record, doctor Mills just gave _me_ a huge list of what not to do with the cast. I am a responsible parent," Harvey defended himself, not dropping the jokingly tone as well.

"Jeez, this was a bad idea. This cast will be broken by Monday," lifting her eyebrows playfully, Donna made the two other women in the room laugh out loud. But she and Harvey were only looking at each other. Smiling fondly.

"Guys, the cast is done," nurse Eleanor raised her gaze to Mia, smiling heartily. "Don't wet it. Don't spill food on it. Don't put stuff inside of it. Deal?"

"Deal," she grimaced, not thrilled about having to spend five weeks with her arm stuck.

"I'll go get doctor Mills and he's discharging you," standing up, the nurse started saying goodbye.

"Thank you so much," Donna smiled.

"It was really nice to meet you, Eleanor!" Mia waved at the woman before she left the room and the three of them were alone again.

"I'm going to the restroom before we go," Donna found an excuse to leave the two alone, avoiding putting themselves in a weird situation again.

When the redhead was out, Mia analyzed Harvey. She scanned his posture and acknowledged the tension on his shoulders, trying to decipher the man. He pretended he wasn't aware, eyes lost in a random spot of the room as he sensed his daughter's curiosity.

"So..." She began, going straight for her intentions.

"Please don't say anything," he turned to the girl, his tone genuine. For a brief second, Mia thought his eyes were pleading.

"Who said I was going to say something?" She flickered her eyelashes.

"I know you since you didn't even know yourself, pumpkin," Harvey attempted to cheer up the mood, earning himself a chuckle from the kid. "Besides, you're a mini Donna."

"Why are you two always saying that about each other? For your knowledge, I am better than both of you, because I am the perfect mix," she bragged, tossing her hair to the side.

"Yep, except for the day you fell from a kitchen stool and managed to break your arm," Harvey teased back, making her drop her chin in mock disbelief.

"You didn't!"

"I did," he laughed, and soon the previous subject was forgotten. Mia respected his space, like she should have done since the beginning.

Truth was Harvey was feeling exposed. Like everyone could see through him. Like he was transparent. And this was still bearable when it was only Donna or sometimes Mike. But now it was Mia too, and the image of his daughter seeing his weakness was terrifying. He was supposed to protect her, after all.

They did as it had been said. On the way home, the silence reigned between the three. It was late and they were all very tired to small talk. That didn't stop Harvey to find Donna's gaze a couple of times in the backseat, both clearly struggling to read each other in the darkness. It was almost 2 a.m. when they dropped Donna at her place, and it was already past 2 when they arrived in his building.

Mia entered the apartment dizzy with sleep, but before heading to her room she mumbled something like _I'm glad you're discovering how you love mommy after all_.

Finally they all went to sleep, Donna determined to give him time to process, Harvey determined to figure this out by himself, and Mia eagerly hoping they would find their way soon. Yet, for the next seven days, the only thing proving that night had ever happened was Mia's very broken arm, since neither Harvey or Donna had the courage to bring it up and talk about it as the days passed.

He would act like nothing had changed, as the team they always had been – Bonnie and Clyde, never willing for something more, living in a fantasy where they already had everything. Afraid of the possible outcomes, Donna had no options but to follow his lead, burying her frustration and disappointment the deepest she could.

...

_Today, 9 p.m._

Another episode of Property Brothers was finished, the third of the evening. Not that she minded, though. Mia enjoyed watching all the houses and their transformation. The issue in there was something else. Something was feeling exceptionally wrong tonight.

It was a quiet Friday evening. They have plenty of those. Donna had just ordered pizza for them, they were laughing together, but underneath it all Mia knew her mother was doing her best to hide from her she was feeling miserable. And Mia didn't want this.

She would buy it if she were anyone else, Donna is a great actress after all. But Mia was not anyone else. They shared a freaking DNA. Mia could be only eleven years old, but that girl knew her mother and she could sense the resentment emanating from her body. It was heartbreaking. All she wanted was for Donna to live the love story she deserved. This was not fair.

Mia had been slowly discovering reality was deeply different from what Disney movies had taught her, and it sucked.

"You know, you're such a Lara Jean spending your Friday night here with me," she mumbled, looking up at Donna.

The woman chuckled, "First of all, I didn't get that reference. Second of all, I can't believe you're turning to be a movie-referencer just like your father."

"What can I do? Life is just a classroom, quoting the great Taylor Swift."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Among other things, that patterns repeat themselves. And you are acting like Lara Jean, the girl from _To all the boys I've loved before_. She spent her weekend's evenings watching TV shows with her little sister because she didn't have a boyfriend or friends," Mia adjusted her position, becoming able to look properly at her mother.

She gasped, "Okay, that was mean. You're not my little sister, you're my daughter. And I do have friends, I just didn't tell Rachel to come over tonight because..."

"Because she is probably having sex with uncle Mike right now."

"Mia!" Donna blurted, shaking her head. It was probably true anyway.

"I'm sorry, mommy. I'm only saying this because I don't want you to be stuck in here with me when you could be doing something else." The girl sighed, dropping her gaze to her own hands. "I hate to think you're not living your life. I know you're sad and you're pretending you're not, but you should know that if you're hurting I am hurting too."

Donna blinked twice, processing Mia's words. Something stirred inside her throat and she felt like she might cry. The entire day she had been on the edge, managing to hold it together and not surrendering herself. Now, it was all on the surface again.

Biting her lips in a watery smile, the mother grabbed the girl's hands. "So what if I am sad? Sometimes we are not gonna have the greatest week and it's fine, honey," her voice was kind. "Those things happen. Frustration happens. And love won't always work. It's part of life and just because I'm home with my kid doesn't mean I'm not living it. It's the opposite, actually. You're my best company since the day I found out I was pregnant, little mermaid."

Mia stared at the woman, her eyes beaming like she had just won a prize.

"Even if I was unplanned?" She asked, unsure.

"Planning life is good, you know. But the best part of it is when something unexpectedly good happens. It feels more amazing than anything in the world. You were that to me, Mia Paulsen-Specter."

And just like that, Mia jumped in her mother's arms in a tight hug, making sure her broken arm was not smashed between them.

"If I was daddy, I would never let a woman like you slip through my fingers," the child asserted, untangling themselves.

"And why's that?" Donna raised her eyebrows.

"C'mon, no need be modest. You're incredible. And we all know you're the best thing that's ever happened to him. He's not the easiest person to deal with and you somehow get him. And you never give up on him." Mia shrugged, sitting back on the couch.

"It's nice to hear this, baby girl. But you get him too, it's not just me," Donna crossed her legs, glimpsing at the TV.

"It's different. I'm his daughter, it's like a natural thing." She argued, articulating like a grown-up.

Donna laughed, pursing her lips thoughtfully, "Well, I don't know. All I know is that I still can't believe you watched this Lara Jean movie with Harvey instead of me. This is a deep betrayal, alright?"

Mia widened her eyes, holding back another laugh, "Oh, but he insisted to watch, what could I do?!"

"Oh, I bet he did," Donna rolled her eyes and they both busted out laughing together.

A few minutes later, they were back commenting on the TV show. Regardless, there was something else popping on Donna's mind about their previous conversation. Contemplating she should or shouldn't tell Mia about it, the woman came out with nothing. She had no idea of how Mia would react, but in the end Donna decided that the right answer would always be honesty. Besides, it was the perfect opportunity to show Mia she wasn't going to wait for Harvey forever. Otherwise it was gonna get harder and harder for the girl to accept that maybe, having her parents as a couple may not become a real thing.

"I met someone last week in the theater," the woman spilled out.

The velocity that Mia's head turned to her told Donna everything she needed to know.

"Oh boy, those kids... I can't take my eyes off of them and they are already messing around!" Mia tried to joke, her voice cracking in denial.

"I'm serious, sweetie. His name is Mitchell. You would like him," Donna swallowed, hugging a pillow in her stomach.

"No, mom, please don't say that." The girl closed her eyes, shaking her head like she was striving to erase the image that had formed.

"I didn't go out with him, calm down," she sighed, glancing at the floor. "We met on Thursday. I gave him my number and he called me on Saturday, after all that mess with your father happened in the previous night. So I obviously didn't answer him. Because I was hopeful Harvey would do something and... you know. It didn't make sense to answer Mitchell's call. But now... it's been a week and I-, I just think I should call him back. He seemed like a very nice guy, Mia."

"NOOO, mom! We are so close to finally making daddy realize it! Please, don't do this, I beg you," she whimpered, a wave of desperation rising on her.

"Honey, I can't stick around forever for your father. Can't you understand that?" Donna hesitantly attempted to explain, using her softest voice. She knew that just a shift on her tone was capable to hurt the girl even more than the topic was already hurting.

"I know, mommy, but all I'm asking is for you to give him at least a little more time. _Please_." A tear fell from her right eye, making her mother sigh.

"I'll think about it. Okay? There's nothing decided yet."

"Okay, I can take that," Mia took a deep breath, trying to steady her heartbeats.

Meanwhile, the doorbell started ringing. The delivery guy must have arrived with their pizza. Pulling some strength to get up from the couch, Donna sighed and took off to answer the door, leaving a pale child behind her.

Alone in the living room, Mia closed her eyes and bit her lips, allowing a few tears to drop in the process. Things were getting more complicated and she didn't feel she was old enough to handle it properly. Why couldn't Harvey just open his goddamn eyes? What was so hard on permitting himself happiness?

Mia was startled when Donna's cellphone started buzzing on the coffee table. Opening her eyes, the girl leaned in to check the name on the screen.

_Mitchell_.

_Shit, what a terrible timing_, she cursed in her thoughts. Listening to the small talk still happening between her mother and the delivery guy, Mia knew she should think fast.

She wasn't on her best state of mind, though. Without analyzing the implications, she grabbed the phone and answered it.

Her hesitation faded quickly. Quickly, Mia put on her firm voice and stated, "Hello, Mitchell. This is Donna's daughter. I'm here to tell you that in case you haven't noticed yet, she is not interested in you. So please, stop calling her. Good evening," as she pressed the red button to end the call, Donna strode back into the room with their pizza. By the shocked look on her face and the way her lips were slightly open, Mia knew she had just screwed up very badly.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, and suddenly the child lost all the hunger she was feeling.

"Mommy, I–"

"Mia, enough. This is getting too far." She shook her head, leaving the pizza on the dinner table and striding over her. The woman kneeled down in front of the kid, taking her hands. "Listen. I was trying not to tell you this with all the clear words but I need to. I hate saying this but me and Harvey... it's not gonna happen, Mia. I _need_ you to let it go. For me. I need to do this for me because if you can't let it go, I can't too. And I need you to never do something like that ever again. This wasn't right, and I know that _you know_ that."

"Oh God, mom, I swear I wasn't thinking when I picked up the phone," the girl whispered. "I am so sorry. Jeez, this was terrible. Please forgive me. I'll call him back and say I was kidding." When she moved to take her phone again, Donna stopped her.

"No, it's okay, you don't have to do this. Just promise me you understand how wrong this is and that you'll never do it again."

"I do. I won't do it anymore," she shook her head, wiping her tears. "I am so sorry. I'll do better, okay? I know this is harder for you than it is for me."

"It's okay, baby girl, I'm not mad. Come here," she pulled Mia for another hug. This one lasted way longer than the previous one, until Donna sensed that Mia's breathing was finally regular again. "Better?" the mother mumbled after a few minutes.

"Yes," she whispered again, shaking her head. With her voice still weak, Mia managed to shape a sad smile towards the woman. "Thank you," she looked down.

"You don't have to thank me." Standing up and holding her hand out, Donna sighed, "let's have this pizza and not talk about it anymore. Deal?"

"Deal."

**...**

**Guys, before you freak out, Donna is not gonna date Mitchell on this fic, this was just a one-chapter thing hahaha. Well... I hope you liked it. This one didn't have a lot of Darvey interaction, but I guess it was necessary for this point of the story. I'm super excited but also kinda anxious to read your thoughts. Don't forget to stay safe, at home!**


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